Austrian Folk Dances I The Ländler
by Shahrazad63
Summary: Three balls and three dances - Maria and Georg s courtship, betrothal and wedding. Here is the first one – the Ländler. Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

**Austrian Folk Dances **

**Part One – The Ländler**

**Chapter I**

--

**_"The truest expression of a people is in its dance and in its music. Bodies never lie."_**

**_Agnes de Mille_**

--

There was little talk of anything else at the Trapp villa other than the upcoming _grand and glorious _party. Not even the reluctant host, Captain Georg Ritter von Trapp himself was immune to the general excitement – although he tried to hide it behind his usual stoic mask. The children were delighted, and nearly hysterical with so much agitation, especially after Maria had the idea of having them perform a song for when they said goodnight to the guests. She had hoped that this would help them to keep their attention on something else, rather than waltzing madly in the hallways, annoying their father with their appalling lack of orderliness and decorum.

"Fräulein, isn't it time you do something about _controlling your charges!_" the Captain spat, rather furiously, one morning, after he was nearly knocked down by the clumsy waltzing pair formed by Kurt and Brigitta, followed by Marta and Gretl singing at the top of their lungs.

"My charges? You mean _your children_, Captain?!" His lips thinned, and his eyes narrowed dangerously. She was becoming quite used to that reaction – lately. It seems that any two words they exchanged quickly developed into a heated argument. He thought that she was more brazen than ever. She felt that she had nothing to loose, now that September and her subsequent return to the convent were so fast approaching. Compelled to once again show him the error of his ways, she dictated, "It is not their fault they had to live in a military warship for the last couple of years. They are just trying to make up for the lost time." Maria's eyes went wide as the words left her mouth. Her deliberate honesty was about to get her into trouble, again.

"You _will_ watch your tongue, Fräulein. How I chose to raise my children in the past is none of your concern. You may be in charge of their future upbringing, but the past is in the past and I do _not_ want it repeatedly dredged up."

Maria could tell that she had hit a sensitive spot, and immediately replied with a timid, "_yes Captain_." _She_ was in charge of their upbringing? She felt the urge to tell him that it was the lady of the house's position to be in charge of child rearing, and that meant Baroness Schraeder. However, being freshly scolded she held her tongue on that point and asked, "And what would you have me do Captain? Lock them up in the attic?" A look of sheer horror crossed her face as soon as she mentioned the attic, and she could tell that she had again, unintentionally this time, struck a nerve with the Captain.

Thankfully, he decided to ignore it.

"Do what you have to do, Fräulein. Anything. As long as you keep them reasonably under control until the night of the party."

"Ahemmm – _anything_?" She could barely contain the smirk emerging on her lips.

He glanced towards his study and confirmed, "Anything."

Her wicked sense of humor got the best of her, and before she could control her tongue she replied, "That might be a very dangerous thing to say to _me,_ Sir."

He spun around and looked at her in shock, "Fräulein!" The anger and been evident in his eyes, but she also sensed something else. Could it be, he was _amused?_

"All right. I shall try, Captain. I shall try." It was then that she had the idea for the farewell song – he had said _anything,_ hadn't he? Even his children performing in public – although she wondered if he considered the exclusive circle of guests that would be attending the grand event as _public_.

"I don't know what they are so excited about," Louisa said as she passed her younger siblings in the hallway, giving Kurt a playful smack to the back of his head before being given a glaring look by her governess. She glanced towards her father and sighed, "It will be like looking at something beautiful but not being able to touch it." Louisa and Maria began walking towards Louisa's siblings, "We won't be allowed to dance at the ball, or even to have dinner with the guests. Not even Liesl. We'll just watch from the terrace, and we won't be able to go inside unless we are called to be introduced to someone, or to meet an elderly relative we have never seen before."

"Hummm," Maria thought. They would have to do something about that one as well. Maybe their goodbye number would help. "Not even you, Liesl?"

Liesl shook her head sadly. "Baroness Schrader says I must be formally introduced to society first, and that only will happen next Season, at the _Opernball_, in Vienna."

"Then you won't be able to dance with your father?" Maria said, surprised.

"It is entirely against the rules of etiquette," Liesl informed her. "And I won't be allowed to taste champagne either," she added forlornly.

"When she goes to the Vienna ball, she'll have to wear a tiara and everything," said Marta.

"Can I have a tiara too?" Gretl asked, pulling Maria's skirt.

"I hate debutantes," Louisa scoffed. "I would never be caught in one of those white, flowing, _fluffy_ dresses, I swear I will not! And I'd rather be dead than be caught wearing a tiara."

"Mother used to love balls," Liesl began dreamingly, ignoring her sister's remark. "She used to tell us she fell in love with father while they were waltzing. There were lots and lots of balls here and in Vienna when we were younger, remember Friedrich?"

The boy nodded, and smiled. Brigitta added, "I remember them dancing."

"Oh yes, they danced so beautifully," Louisa exclaimed, this time not able to disguise the dreamy look in her eyes.

"And before the ball they would both appear in the nursery to show us how they looked," said Friedrich.

"Do you think father will wear his medals?" asked Kurt, excitedly.

"Oh yes," Brigitta agreed. "Will he?"

"Of course he will, he always did in those occasions," said Friedrich.

Kurt then turned to Maria: "Did you know that father was decorated _fifteen times_? And all for fighting _under the water, _commanding submarines! Can you imagine that?"

"_Fifteen_ times!" exclaimed Maria, not having to pretend she was impressed. "And under the water… That is quite extraordinary, Kurt, it really is."

_"A retired officer of the Imperial Navy. A fine man and a brave one"_, the Reverend Mother had said. But_ fifteen_ medals of honor?

In order to keep Maria from having any doubts, Kurt began reciting the full list. "_Ritterkreuz Militär - Maria Theresien Orden; Promotion, Ritterkreuz Leopold-Orden., Orden der eisernen Krone, Militärverdienstmedaille, Silberne Tapferkeitsmedaille für Offiziere, Bronzene signum laudis, Silberne Tapferkeitsmedaille, Karl Truppenkreuz, Militärverdienstkreuz, Jubiläums-Erinnerungsmedaille, Militär-Jubiläums Kreuz, Deutsches Eisernes Kreuz, Russischen Stanislaus-Orden and the Ottomanische Goldene Liakat Medaille…_ I hope I did not forget any".

"No, that makes fifteen, you have them all," said Friedrich.

"I am impressed, Kurt. How on earth do you manage to know all that?" Maria asked, and the answer to her was obvious. It was his father, and his biggest hero.

"Oh, mother made as all memorize them," Louisa said. "She was so incredibly proud."

"As you all should be," said Maria.

"The most important is the Maria-Theresien Cross," said Friedrich knowingly.

"I hope he will wear it," said Louisa.

"Oh, he must!" exclaimed Brigitta. "It is beautiful – it is worn around his neck, with a red and white ribbon."

"I have not seen it in years," said Liesl. "That was how he received his title. He is a Baron, and also a _Ritter_ – a knight, and all by his own merits. Did you know that, Fräulein?"

"No, I did not!" So Captain Georg Ritter von Trapp had not been born a nobleman. He had become one because of his fortitude, his acts of bravery while fighting for his country.

"Father used to wear it whenever they attended a party or a ball. I heard mother saying once that she was jealous because of that _Maria_ wrapped around his neck all the time."

"Whaaat?" Maria asked.

Brigitta giggled "Father did not understand it either, and then she explained that she was talking about the Maria-Theresien Cross."

"Uh… What was that given to him for?" Maria asked.

It was Friedrich´s turn to show off his knowledge about military orders. "_Successful military acts of essential impact to a campaign that were undertaken on an officer's own initiative, and might have been omitted by an honorable officer without reproach_."

Marta and Gretl giggled.

"Ahem… would you mind repeating that again, slowly this time, Friedrich?" The boy did what she asked. "Hummm. I see." Maria was frowning.

Brigitta studied her governess, "What are you thinking, Fräulein?"

"How do you know I have something in mind, Brigitta?" Maria asked mischievously.

"You have _that look_ in your face."

"Which _look_?"

Brigitta, ever the observant one replied earnestly, "The one you have when you give father a taste of his own medicine."

"Oh well," Maria shrugged. Brigitta was smart, observant, and had a penchant to speak her own mind, which could be quite disconcerting at times. She tried to play off Brigitta's observation, "I think I will keep this one to myself for now."

It seemed interesting to Maria that Captain von Trapp was awarded specifically for _acting against an explicit superior order_! She could not help but smile at the thought, but it would not be wise of her to share such a conclusion with the children. Bits of several arguments she'd had with the Captain flashed in her mind.

_"Fraulein, did I not tell you that bedtime is to be strictly observed in this house?"_

_"Well, the children were upset by the storm, so I thought that if I – You did, sir."_

_"And do you or do you not have difficulty remembering such simple instructions?"_

_"Only during thunderstorms, sir."_

And, on the very first day she arrived at the Trapp villa…

_"You are the twelfth in a long line of governesses, who have come to look after my children since their mother died. I trust that you will be an improvement on the last one. She stayed only two hours."_

_  
"What's wrong with the children?"_

_"There's nothing wrong with the children - only the governesses. They were completely unable to maintain discipline. Without it, this house cannot be properly run. You will please remember that, Fraulein."_

_"Yes, sir."_

_"Every morning you will drill the children in their studies. I will not permit them to dream away their summer holidays. Each afternoon, they will march about the grounds, breathing deeply. Bedtime is to be strictly observed, no exceptions..."_

_"Excuse me, sir, when do they play?"_

_"You will see to it that they conduct themselves at all times with the utmost orderliness and decorum. I'm placing you in command."_

She had mockingly saluted him, which had earned her the first "_Captain's stare_" as she now referred to it. For some reason his scowling stare at her hadn't been disconcerting – she was much too used to be scowled at by some of the nuns at the Abbey. It had been what happened next - he had blown that silly whistle… That piercing shriek of the boatswain whistle had startled her, but it wasn't what had disturbed her. It had been him – or something about him that had made her breath catch. She still didn't know quite what it was, or even what she felt, but there was something about _him_ that disturbed her. She was drawn from her reverie by Louisa.

"So, what _are_ we going to do at the party?"

Maria looked at the children around her and smiled. "Well, I have an idea…"

The children began dancing around the room in anticipation of their Fraülein's idea. They would be able to participate in the party, and not only that – they would get to sing too. As the children continued to discuss the merits of Maria's idea, Maria's mind was elsewhere. She thought about the Captain, and how he might react to their performance. And then an absolutely wicked thought crossed her mind – _he_ had been rewarded for acting against orders – for deliberately acting against what his superior officers thought would be the best thing to do at the moment.

The Captain was a strategist, and Maria had just found a kink in his armor.

--

_A/N: The impressive list of military medals recited by Kurt was obtained in a website about the real Captain von Trapp._

_My thanks to _**maxisback**_, for correcting the information I had about the Viennese ball in which Liesl would be a debutante._


	2. Chapter 2

_Austrian Folk Dances _

_Part One – The Ländler_

_Chapter II_

_A/N: Three balls and three dances - Maria and Georg´s courtship, betrothal and wedding. Here is the first one – the Ländler._

_Thanks to Mellie D. for her valuable beta work!_

_Disclaimer: I __do not own "The Sound of Music", etc._

_**--**_

_**A kiss can be a comma, a question mark or an exclamation point. That's basic spelling that every woman ought to know. **_

_**Mistinguett (Jeanne Bourgeois)**_

_**--**_

On the morning of the party, the orchestra came for a brief rehearsal, to check if it was all properly arranged, and that there was ample room for each musician and the conductor. Maria heard it while she was tidying up the nursery, when they began playing something that was achingly familiar to her – a _Ländler_.

She could not help but smile at the memory. She was eleven, and her school had decided it would be doing a presentation of folk dances from different countries. Her class was going to have to present an Austrian folk dance, and the Ländler was the most natural choice. There were more girls than there were boys, so Maria ended up being paired up with another girl, after the boy she liked chose the prettiest girl in school as a partner. They rehearsed for weeks, and the teacher was especially hard on Maria. She lacked the disciplined required for a dancer, even for such an amateurish presentation. Maria, whose pride was wounded by some of the teacher's remarks about her being an ungainly dancer, decided to show the woman that yes, she could do it, and she would be the best dancer in the group, and that she would not trip or stumble or knock anybody down while they were in front of the audience.

In the end, Maria was successful in all of those things. However, in order to accomplish that, she used to practice for hours when she was alone. By the time she went to bed at night, the Ländler was so imbedded in her memory that her arms and her legs would still move to the steps of the dance. She never forgot a single movement.

Alone in the nursery, she rehearsed them again, for the first time since she was a girl of eleven, and was surprised to realize that she still remembered everything, step by step.

"Fräulein Maria!"

She stopped at the middle of an imaginary _wickel_ (1) with her equally imaginary dance partner, and smiled at the housekeeper.

"Yes, Frau Schmidt?"

"That was pretty. Were you dancing with anyone in particular?"

"Whoever he was, he was not a very good partner." Maria smiled.

"I need to speak to you for a moment. About the ball. Captain's orders."

She straightened herself. _Thank goodness,_ she thought.

Maria was not sure what her role would be, even what she should wear, and she felt too embarrassed to ask. And she wanted to avoid another clash with the Captain. She thought of asking Frau Schmidt before, but decided against it, since the elderly housekeeper would be scandalized that she did not know her place in the house, being a governess and all. It was a relief that the woman took the initiative to talk to her first.

"Very well!"

"You and the children will dine a little earlier, at the smaller dinning room. The Captain naturally won't be joining you, since he and the Baroness will be busy receiving the guests by that time." Maria nodded. "Also, it occurred to me that you might not have anything appropriate to wear."

"No, but…"

"Yes, I understand you won't be exactly joining the party, just watching over the children. But still, you need something better than _that,_" she pointed to Maria's dowdy brown dress.

"Oh, I haven't thought of it."

"But I did!" the woman said, apparently very proud of her efficiency. "You'll find it in your room. It belonged to my daughter, but she gained weight after her pregnancy and it no longer fits her. She only wore it once at my son's wedding. I am sure you'll manage to make the necessary alterations, although I am quite certain it will fit you perfectly. You are about the same size. It is quite lovely, in my opinion. And _- it twirls_," she said, with a sweet grin.

Maria smiled at the older woman's comment. Marta and Gretl had absolutely insisted that their party dresses had to _twirl_. This requirement had been the source of many shed tears between the Baroness and the youngest von Trapps, which was only won after the Captain intervened and determined that Marta and Gretl´s dresses had to have their twirly dresses. "Thank you, Frau Schmidt. It was very thoughtful of you."

The housekeeper made a dismissive gesture. "Oh, please, don't mention it. This house became much more… interesting since you arrived. It was the least I could do. You enjoy it. And maybe…"

"Maybe what?"

"Maybe you'll find a real partner to dance that Ländler with after all," Frau Schmidt winked.

"Oh, Frau Schmidt. I doubt that anyone would want to dance with the governess. Much less a governess who will be a nun in less than a year!""

"Yes, but you are not dead yet, are you?" The older woman asked with a twinkle in her eye.

Maria laughed – apparently she was not the only one in that house with a tendency to have some very crazy ideas.

She, the governess, dancing at the Captain's ball, wearing a folk gown which belonged to the housekeeper's daughter?

Never in a million years.

--

After lunch, Maria convinced the children to take a little nap, arguing that they would go to bed much later, and if they were sleepy, they would miss a lot of the fun in the party. She then took the opportunity to go for a little walk around the villa. As she was walking towards the main gate, daydreaming as usual, she had to jump back to avoid being hit by an old, run down truck. The driver hit the brakes immediately, making a loud screeching noise.

"Oh, oh, oh! I'm so sorry, I did not see you there," Peggy Schneider ran towards her. "How clumsy of me. Hans is always saying that I drive too fast!"

Maria looked at the woman. She was not wearing Chinese clothes this time. Instead, she was wearing _pants_.

_The Baroness will have a fit if she sees her,_ Maria thought.

"I am all right, Frau Schneider. Peggy," she quickly corrected herself. "I had my head in the clouds as well."

"Hmmm," Peggy hummed, knowingly. Then she broke into a smile. "Where is your Captain?" she asked, looking over Maria's shoulder.

"Eh – my Captain?"

"Hans asked me to bring this book to him. Another first edition – _The Mystery Island_."

"I think he is on the terrace with Herr Detweiler. Come with me, I'll take you there," Maria offered.

"Thank you, dear. By the way, congratulations. I heard all about it. Well done, you showed them all! You won that treasure hunt, didn't you?"

"Well, the children did."

"But they chose to give the prize to you. They must love you very much, which means that you probably had something to do with their victory" she said, and Maria lowered her eyes. "If you don't mind the question, are you allowed to keep something like that for yourself?" she asked, as they slowly walked around the house to the terrace.

Maria did not elaborate on her answer. "I will keep it while I am here," she said, her fingers itching to touch the pin underneath her dress.

"Are you looking forward to the party?"

"As much as everyone else," Maria replied honestly.

"Oh good. For a moment I thought you were planning to hide somewhere. There is some flicker of hope for you after all."

"I am supposed to stay with the children," Maria explained. "I am not exactly part of the guest list."

"Yes, but you should also _mingle_ a little. You know, just to see how the other half of the world lives. A unique opportunity to you, I am sure you'll find it fascinating." Since Maria did not answer, she continued. "I know, I am starting to interfere again. I must tell you, my husband gave me one of his huge lectures after you left the other day because I was meddling, as he said. But I still can't help myself." Maria smiled. "Do you know what I think you should do?"

"What?" Maria was almost afraid to ask.

"Very simple, and yet effective. It should tell you everything you need to know about yourself. And the party will be the perfect opportunity for it."

"Really?" Maria asked, incredulously.

"Really. I think you should kiss a man before you make the final decision to become a nun." Maria's eyes widened. "But not _any _man, but by a man who really knows what he is doing." Peggy raised her eyebrows suggestively.

Maria stopped cold in her tracks. First, Frau Schmidt suggested that she should dance. Now _kissing_? The idea was absurd.

_Kiss a man? Her?__ Maria?"_

She had never even _imagined_ being kissed before. She had never wondered what would be like to fall in love. Even in her childish dreams about Captain Nemo, he was usually rescuing her from terrible sea monsters, not embracing her. Ever since she had made her decision to enter the Abbey, she pushed all of these kinds of thoughts, or any thought that would distract her from her goal – it was like that aspect of her life never existed at all. She enjoyed reading love stories, but even though some of the tales warmed her heart and made her cry, she never longed to be in the heroine's place. There was always too much suffering, too much heartache, and more than often, things ended in a terrible tragedy. How could she wish for a life like that for herself?

"Hah!" exclaimed Peggy, triumphantly. "I see that the idea intrigues you. That is a very good thing indeed."

"Still trying to corrupt my governess, Peggy?" the Captain spoke from behind them, saving Maria from answering the question. "Or were you trying to murder her with your reckless driving?" _Not to mention scandalize her with your inappropriate wardrobe,_ he thought, grimacing of the sight of the woman wearing pants.

_Where was he? _Maria wondered. He was supposed to be at the terrace, towards where they were headed. But it looked like he had been following them closely. Had he heard anything? _Oh please, Lord, don't let that be the case_, she pleaded silently.

"None of the above. Quite the contrary, Georg. I am still trying to make her see the light." She handled him the package she had in her hands. "Here is your other Jules Verne. With Hans's compliments."

"Thank you. You did not have to trouble yourself to come all the way to Aigen. I could go and fetch it myself."

"Oh, don't mention it. We know how busy you are with your treasure hunts and your grand balls, your Baronesses – and your _governesses_!" Maria quickly glanced over at Peggy after the last comment. Had the Captain mentioned _her_ when he called requesting the novel?

_Don't__ be ridiculous,_ she censored herself. _He has other things in mind other than his employees_.

Ignoring the taunt, Georg asked her. "Have you managed to convince that pirate husband of yours to come to the party?"

"I am certainly trying, but you know how much he hates leaving his ship. Besides, those old war injuries have been bothering my poor love these days. You could... Oh yes, _you _should be the one to do it."

"Do what? You know well Hans is never easily convinced of anything by anyone."

_Look who is talking,_ Maria thought amusedly, letting out a small sigh of relief, noting the change of subject, and that the conversation no longer included her. She prepared herself to ask to be excused as soon as their conversation paused. But Peggy Schneider turned to her again as soon as she opened her mouth to speak.

"Maria, darling, if there is one man I know who is an expert, other than my Hans, of course, it is Captain von Trapp." She gently patted the Captain on the back as she spoke.

Maria had obviously underestimated the Irishwoman's persistence.

"Expert in what, Peggy?" Georg asked sarcastically. Maria glanced at him, the meaning in her eyes very clear. _Trust me, Captain, you don't really want to know! _But he was busy directing his cautionary scowl to Peggy, who seemed completely unaffected by it.

"_Kissing_, of course. You should see that this girl here," she placed her hands around Maria's shoulders for emphasis, bringing the trio closer, "is properly and thoroughly _kissed_ before she decides to lock herself in a cloister. That should change her mind. Georg, I think you would deserve another medal for that one."

Maria closed her eyes, wishing for the first time in her life that she were struck by lightning. But the sky was unbelievably blue, and there was not a slight change of that happening. She heard the Captain's short intake of breath, and it seemed almost a relief that he was apparently as appalled as she was.

The couple remained mortally silent, as Peggy continued. "The _least_ you should do would be to dance with her at the party. A waltz – you know what they say about the waltz," she winked and gently pushed Maria towards the Captain as she stepped back. "That might work just as well as kissing."

_What do they say about the waltz?_ Maria wanted to ask, and she would have done just that in any other occasion.

Peggy rambled on. "_I would never marry a woman who dances the waltz!_" she quoted, mimicking an outraged, low pitched male voice in a stiff upper class accent. "Who said that? The Earl of _Somethingshire_?"

"The Duke of Devonshire," the Captain said between clenched teeth.

"The prig," Peggy muttered in distaste. "Well, we can't really blame him, he was not an Austrian, was he?"

The Captain, who was much too sophisticated not to handle Peggy Schneider, recovered quickly. And if he knew one thing about her was that the more one resisted her provocations, the longer it would take for her to stop.

He looked down at the woman in front of him and replied wryly, with a slight bow, "I'll do my best, Peggy."

Maria looked up at him, appalled, her mouth open. "Captain!" He grinned at her, but, at the same time, there was a warning in his eyes. _Play along with me for once,_ they seemed to tell her.

"Promise?" Was Peggy's quick retort.

Tearing his eyes from his governess, he looked at his guest and winked at her in response.

Maria couldn't help but wonder if he meant what he said. However, at that moment, Liesl called to her from the upstairs window. Her young charges were up and about again, and thankfully it was time for her to resume her duties. Mumbling a hurried excuse, she ran towards the nearest door to the house.

--

_A/N: _

_(1) __"Wickel", according to my researches, is the name given to the complicated arm tying and turning that caused Maria's face to become "all red" when she danced with the Captain. Once more, thanks for maxisback for correcting my spelling!_


	3. Chapter 3

_Austrian Folk Dances_

_Part One – The Ländler_

_C__hapter III_

_A/N: __The grand and glorious party is about to begin. Once more, there are references to my earlier stories, Treasures, in this Chapter._

_Mellie, Max, Trapper, Delenn – __what can I say? Thank you!_

_Disclaimer: __The usual._

--

**_"Dancing is wonderful training for girls; it's the first way you learn to guess what a man is going to do before he does it"._**

**_Christopher Morley_**

--

Frau Schmidt had not been lying – the dress was indeed lovely. It was, if nothing else, very Austrian, with flowing skirts and a teal bodice. The sleeves, as well as the skirts, were made of a soft white fabric, with a pattern of delicate flowers. Maria tried it on, and it fit her perfectly. With a sigh of pleasure, she watched the skirts twirl around her in the mirror. Never before in her life had she worn anything so beautiful. It would have been such a pity if the dress was never worn by anyone again, after the housekeeper's daughter had discarded it.

_This is how Cinderella must have felt after being touched by the fairy godmother's wand,_ Maria thought, whirling. Only difference was that there would be no prince waiting for her at the ball, but seven children, hopefully in their best behavior. _And maybe a sea captain_ a wicked voice in the back of her mind whispered. _A sea captain who would ask you to dance. _ She dismissed the nagging voice at once with an impatient shrug, unable to meet her reflection's eyes in the mirror. She didn't want to see the hope shining in them. The excitement caused by the party must have been affecting her sanity.

She walked to the nursery to meet the children and take them to dinner downstairs, as it had been determined by their father. Before, she had already helped them dress, and then Frau Schmidt appeared to help her, hushing her out of the room. "You go, Fräulein, you must get ready as well. I will take care of the girls´ hair." Maria did what she asked, glad for her assistance, otherwise she had no idea when she would have enough time to change before the party.

"Good, you are here," she said, entering the room. They all stopped what they were doing, and stared at her.

"Fräulein, your dress twirls too!" Marta exclaimed, and was quickly followed by the other children, who voiced their approval as well.

"You children flatter me," she said, attempting to silence them. "I must say that I don't think I have ever received so many compliments in one day before. But now let me look at you."

Following an old habit, they lined themselves up for her inspection. That brought a smile to her lips. "You are all lovely," she said. "Boys, you look very elegant." Friedrich and Kurt bowed to her. "And girls, you look like little ladies!" Gretl giggled. "Aren't you glad you followed the Baroness's advice?" Pleasing all of the children, the Baroness and the Captain had endured quite a battle. However, she had to admit that the Baroness did have an uncanny sense of fashion and style, even when it came to children's clothes. The only one who did not seem entirely happy with her attire was Liesl.

"Well, honestly…" the girl began. She was frustrated because her dress was not "_grown up"_ enough. But Maria interrupted her.

"Oh, cheer up, darling! Just think that in your next grand and glorious party you´ll be wearing a ball gown." She did not know if that was entirely true, but Liesl seemed happy enough with the thought for the moment. The girl smiled, dreamingly. "You'll make your father very proud, I am certain of it. But… where is Brigitta?" Maria asked, frowning, finally noticing the empty place in the line.

"I don't know, probably somewhere with her nose buried in a book," answered Louisa.

"You children stay here. I will look for her, and then we'll have our dinner," Maria said.

"I'm hungry," Kurt moaned. "Do we _have_ to wait for Brigitta?"

"You know we do, Kurt, your father wants us to stay all together." Seeing the dejected look cross his face, she made a concession. "But, oh well, why don't you all go down to dinner and wait for me there while I search for Brigitta?" Kurt looked at her, unsure – he certainly had not liked the fact he would _still_ have to wait.

"I won't be long, I promise," Maria said then added. "We do not want to upset your father tonight, do we?"

Kurt seemed satisfied enough by her explanation, and ran down the stairs to the dining room, followed at a more leisurely pace by his other siblings. Maria followed them to the foyer, but she was inevitably attracted to the same doors that had caught her attention on the day of her arrival.

Maria had not seen the ballroom in all of its glory yet, fully illuminated. She gasped as the crystal chandeliers blinded her, each lapidated bead reflecting the light into rainbow of colors. She was hypnotized by the effect for a while, reluctant to tear her gaze away from the ceiling. She walked towards the open doors, intent on taking in its full majesty when a low masculine chuckle that had become achingly familiar to her indicated that she was not alone. Reluctantly, she lowered her eyes from the lights to the man now standing in the middle of the empty room.

The sight of Captain Georg Ritter von Trapp, looking every inch the European aristocrat, caught her unaware. She gasped, and her hands instinctively moved to her stomach. He wore a black tailcoat, black trousers, black shoes, a white bow tie, white vest, and a white wing-collar shirt. Some military medals adorned the upper left pocket of the tailcoat, and around his neck he wore a red and white ribbon, with the highest medal honor he had received – the famous Maria-Theresien Cross.

"Fräulein…" His tone was soft, but it was what made her realize that she had been caught staring again.

"Uh - hallo," she greeted him, fixing her gaze on the gilt, white-enameled cross at his neck. "I'm sorry, Captain. I was looking for Brigitta, and I thought… I thought…" Her eyes narrowed, and her own natural curiosity made the question inevitable. "Is that the –" her right hand moved to her own neck – "Is that the _one_?"

Escorting her from the ballroom he chuckled, "I see that the children have been singing my praises to you. Who was it?"

"The boys, of course. Their favorite game is to reenact your battles. They usually place me and the little ones in the unfortunate position of the enemy…"

He grinned at the memory – he had witnessed one of their mock battles from afar just a few days before. The children had used cardboard boxes to build an entire fleet of submarines. And then, Kurt found the garden hose… His younger son had charged against the _enemy_ with a vengeance. Fräulein Maria, worried about the damage Kurt could cause armed with a hose ran in his direction. The boy naturally saw that as an enemy attack and the result had been, once more, seven soaked children and an equally soaked governess.

The memory of a dripping wet Fräulein Maria was as disturbing as it had been weeks before, when she had fallen into the lake, so he brought his attention back to the object of her attention – the medal. "Yes, that is the one. You won't see it very often, I'm afraid." He stared at her for a moment, and she kept her eyes firmly on his neck. "Where is yours?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"This is the perfect occasion to show it off, Fräulein." It occurred to her that he was referring to the delicate anchor shaped pin, the prize she had received for winning the treasure hunt the Baroness had organized a few days earlier.

"Oh, _mine_. The… the lovely little anchor."

"Why? Are there any others?"

She frowned at him – there was no medal for her kind of behavior at the Abbey, quite the contrary. "No, there are not," she said vehemently, trying to make clear that she had not appreciated his taunting remark. "I am not exactly dressed for jewelry, Captain." Her right hand moved instinctively to the spot over her heart. There, beneath her dress pinned to her chemise was the brooch – her prize for outsmarting him. She wondered what he would think if knew that she had worn it like that, ever since she had received it from his hands.

Suddenly, she was jostled, and probably would have fallen if the Captain had not placed his arms on her to keep her steady. Their gazes locked for a moment, until they heard the familiar timber of his daughter - the young girl had obviously been reading and not watching where she was walking. Maria turned, and the Captain's hand naturally fell to rest low on her back.

"Oh, Fräulein. I'm so sorry!"

With the slight pressure of the Captain's hand low on her back, Maria could hardly think straight. He was probably unaware of the fact that he was still touching her. Although he was apparently oblivious to his effect on her, her mind was focused singularly on his hand. It seemed like such a familiar gesture and yet – one so foreign and new. Realizing Brigitta had asked her a question, which she never heard, she spoke rapidly, "Brigitta! I was looking for you. Your brothers and sisters are waiting for us, so that we can have our dinner. Uh - Kurt is ravenous and has probably started chewing the plates by now."

Brigitta rolled here eyes. "Excuse me father," she said, turning to leave. Maria prepared to follow, breaking contact with the Captain's hand.

"Fräulein…" He stopped her.

"Yes Captain?" She turned in the foyer, their positions surprisingly similar to her first moments at the villa.

_"In the future, you will kindly remember there are certain rooms in this house which are not to be disturbed." _

_"Yes, Captain. Sir."_

_"Why do you stare at me that way?_

_"Well, you don't look at all like a sea Captain, sir."_

_"I'm afraid you don't look very much like a governess. Turn around, please._

_"What?""_

_Hmm, turn… Hat - off. Sss -- It's the dress. You'll have to put on another one before you meet the children."_

_"But I don't have another one. When we enter the Abbey, our worldly  
clothes are given to the poor._

_"What about this one?"_

_"Well, the poor didn't want this one."_

Again he was studying her – her dress, her appearance, _her._ But this time the outcome was very different.

He stepped closer to her. "Quite frankly, you do not _need_ any jewelry. None at all. _You_ look very… very _Austrian_."

Maria's eyes widened, first in puzzlement then in realization. For a second, she could have sworn that he was about to say something entirely different and much more personal_,_ having changed his mind at the last moment.

_I must be imagining things – it must be the excitement,_ she thought, troubled. _It is this ball, the music… this dress. _She looked down at her dress and replied, "thank you, Captain." Then looking up at him and added, "So - so do you."

His eyes never leaving hers, he quietly whispered "Thank you." He was transfixed by her. She seemed so… so natural. The dress suited her perfectly, her hair, although short was the only way hair _should_ have been worn with the dress. And her eyes… her eyes sparkled.

The Baroness spoke from somewhere behind her, breaking the allure of Maria. "Hah, so this is where everyone is!"

Maria turned around to come face to face with Baroness Schrader, who was coming down the stairs, and gasped. The woman looked absolutely dazzling in a gold dress that fit her like a glove.

"Fräulein, you look… _delightful_," she said.

"That is very kind of you, Baroness. May I say that you look stunning?"

_So this is how Cinderella felt when the clock struck __midnight__,_ she thought. Suddenly, Maria felt very inadequate in her borrowed gown, the same one that made her feel like a princess earlier in the evening.

"Is that Frau Schmidt's daughter's dress? It does look _perfect_ on you," she said, "Don't you agree, darling?" she asked Georg, coming to stand, shoulder to shoulder with Maria. Only then did he take his gaze away from Maria, and fixed it on the Baroness.

There was a foolish lump in Maria's throat, as she looked down at her own dress for a second time. Only a moment ago, the Captain was looking at her like if she were the only person in the world, telling her that she looked _Austrian_ and she did not need diamonds to make her look nicer. Had that come from anyone else, she would not have thought much about the compliment – but coming from him, she found it charming and endearing. This was a man who had fought for his country, and he was telling her that she looked like the Austria he loved. She even dared to think after his reaction, and after the children's reaction, a little earlier, that she had never looked less like a governess. The Baroness had proven her wrong in the blink of an eye. She had been the victim of her own imagination, and of the atmosphere of excitement created by the party. Now it was the Baroness in her gold dress and glittering jewelry who held his gaze. The contrast could not be more vivid.

Not long ago, she had engaged in a fun little debate with the girls. Would the prince have danced with Cinderella if she had shown up to the ball in rags? When the Captain first looked at her that evening, she had been inclined to answer yes to that question. After seeing the Baroness in all of her golden glory, she was not sure anymore.

"Ahem… If you excuse me, Captain – Baroness. I must see to the children now." She quickly left in search of her charges, without looking back at the couple, silently wondering to herself, why was she so concerned about _why _Prince Charming danced with Cinderella and why she had compared the Captain to the prince?


	4. Chapter 4

_Austrian Folk Dances _

_Part One – The Ländler_

_Chapter IV_

_A/N: __Beware of the lure of the forbidden…. _

_Disclaimer: I do not own "The Sound of Music", etc._

--

_**"Forbid us something, and that thing we desire."**_

Geoffrey Chaucer

--

"Who is that charming little creature?"

"Who?" Georg glanced up in the same direction of his friend's gaze. There, perched high above the festivities was Fräulein Maria dutifully watching over his children. The girls were pressed against the railing of the upper landing, observing everyone and everything. The boys were leaning against the wall, feigning disinterest. Their governess, who was attempting to also appear aloof, was failing miserably. Although her demeanor of casually glancing at the boys was meant to give an air of casualness, her tight grip against the railing rivaled that of his daughters. A grip that was meant to hold her back from the party but yet still bring her as close to it as possible. "Oh – the children´s governess."

"Hm mm. I see that your criteria for hiring help has improved significantly since the last time I was here." Georg just cast a half smile – a dangerous warning sign, to those who knew him. "Not conventionally beautiful, I would say, although – what a fine figure! With the right haircut, some make up and the right dress, that girl could take Vienna by storm."

The Captain frowned. _Not conventionally beautiful?_ Maybe she lacked Elsa´s classically perfect features, but other than that… Although he had always been reluctant to admit to other things about her, he never denied that he had been fully aware of Maria´s innocent appeal.

The Count of Szaratay continued speaking.

"Do you mind if I…"

"Yes, I do." Georg chuckled, attempting to sound friendly while still attempting to rebuff the Count.

He remembered Peggy Schneider´s outrageous suggestion. Although there was a part of him that whole-heartedly agreed with the eccentric woman, the very thought of Maria receiving her first kiss from a man like the Count repulsed him. It made him cringe. Most especially because he was well aware of András´s notorious reputation for seducing young, unattached females. No, he would not be satisfied with just kissing.

"You don´t even know what I was going to ask."

"Oh, but I do!"

"Georg!" The Count was insistent, a sure sign that Georg had judged him correctly concerning his young governess.

"András, Fräulein Maria is here only temporarily. She is going to be a nun, she will not be interested in whatever you would have to offer her. Your pursuits would be more beneficial elsewhere."

"What a shame! But I would like to be the judge of that myself. Tell me – what does she do during her free time – that is, if you allow her any?"

"I do, and she spends it climbing trees." He smiled at the thought of the young woman in question hanging from the trees. "I've probably been the cause for one or two of them." He chuckled. "András, I'm merely trying to tell you that Maria is - how should I put it - _unique_. She's a real spit-fire, will put you in your place, and has no qualms about telling you that you're wrong. I assure you, my governess is free to speak to you of her own volition, but she has her mind set on becoming a nun."

"Come on, Georg. Have you not thought about it, just once? The lure of the forbidden is a widely known phenomenon, you cannot be immune to that, no hot-blooded man is. An innocent girl, fresh out of a convent. It would almost be… _too easy_, wouldn´t it?"

Georg's tone lost it's gentleness that it held before. "Even for a Don Juan, you don't know when to stop, do you? I would advise you not to speak of any woman like that in my presence. It doesn't speak well of you, and it's rather disturbing to the male population, _Graf von Szaratay_!"

The Count laughed. "Oh, _I_ am disturbed now. Zeller was right. I was just telling him that…"

The Captain´s next words were menacing. "_Stay away from her_! Both you and Zeller."

"So you _have_ thought about it."

Rage blossomed inside the Captain. How could the man think of Maria as only a trophy of his pursuits? "If you go near her, if you talk to her, if you do as much as look to her that way again, I swear will…"

"Calm down, Georg. I understand. Who am I to damage your _property_." The Count chuckled, then bowed and left.

_The lure of the forbidden,_ indeed! Maria was alluring, no doubt. Forbidden? Absolutely. Beckoning him to her? _Possibly_ his mind screamed.

"Darling, I was talking to you!" Elsa tugged at his right arm.

_Charming, witty, graceful. The perfect hostess. His savior. _Why was it that Fräulein Maria frequently invaded his thoughts when he had Elsa, and Elsa was everything he should want in a woman – and for a time, it _was_ what he had wanted? Her classical beauty was unrivaled. She was charming – she had the men and women of Viennese society fawning over her. Her wit was part of her charm, and it matched his own, a trait he had never found before in any other woman, with the possible exception of... He forced his thoughts to return to the Baroness. Graceful was the only way to describe how Elsa moved, how she walked. The perfect hostess is what she would be this evening, and what she was when she showed her a Vienna he had not cared to see since he had lost his love.

_His savior_… That somehow didn't ring nearly as true now as it had when he had spoken it a few weeks prior. No, that phrase could only be applied to one woman – the young woman in a hand-me-down dress who had caught the eyes of the notorious Count of Szaratay. He smiled at the irony that his savior would be a nun.

"I´m sorry, darling. What were you saying?"

"What made you so furious and what did you say to dear András that he and Herr Zeller find so amusing?" Elsa asked.

Georg looked at the two men, and felt his temper rising even higher. How dare they think so little of Maria? He observed his governess again from the corner of his eye. _Forbidden indeed_ he thought. He looked at Elsa and replied, "Nothing important. Are all the guests here yet? I need to speak to the children."

"Oh yes, of course. _The children_. Try not to worry too much, their little Fräulein is taking good care of them!"

_Fräulein Maria is watching over them. But _who_ is watching - the Fräulein?_

His governess had barely made an appearance, and she had already managed to attract several kinds attention – all of the wrong kind. He chastised himself for not making sure she had anything appropriate to wear for such an event, and cursed himself for being so stupid. He could only hope Maria would not be aware of some of the looks that the women were throwing in her direction. Granted, she was an employee, but even Franz was wearing dinner attire, as was appropriate. Maria wore a simple dress, with delicate flowers; she was the epitome of Austrian simplicity. And yet, every thought that he had of the woman was utterly complicated.

But it was another kind of attention that worried him even more. He saw a couple of his friends gazing at her, and it had been enough to make his skin crawl. And the words of the Count only added to his worries.

--

As Maria looked down on the hall, her breath caught. The children were equally speechless. The Captain and the Baroness were still greeting the last arriving guests. Lots of people stood about talking, before going to the ballroom, where the orchestra was already playing. No one was dancing yet, and no one would, until the Captain opened the ball, with the Baroness.

Maria observed her employer. He was naturally at ease among guests, although something in his stance spoke of a certain inner tension. He looked so formal in his attire, so very much like a decorated naval hero. He wasn't anything like the pirate that Hans Schneider was, nor was he the cold hearted sea captain she had met at her arrival. No, this was the aristocrat, the Baron.

There was a dark haired man standing next to him now. He was just as tall, but not nearly as fit as the Captain. Suddenly, the man raised his eyes to look straight at her. It was a look that made her extremely uncomfortable, so she immediately tore her gaze away, and fixed it on the entrance to the ball room. When she felt remotely confident that she was no longer the subject of their gazes, she returned her eyes back to the Captain. They began exchanging a few words, and the Captain flashed a look in her direction, but never held her gaze for more than a fraction of a second. His polite smile suddenly changed to that dangerous half smile she knew so well. Then his whole expression darkened, and it was clear that, whatever the other man said, it had angered him. But Elsa was soon there to calm him down. His expression softened again, and he was, once more, calm and composed, ready to greet the next guest in line.

_So this is how he looks like among his peers,_ she thought. Never before the distance between her world and the world of von Trapp´s seemed so vast – and notably after her gaze turned to Elsa von Schraeder next to him. For even among the magnificently brilliant gathering she stood out in her gold gown. If she had any intention to attract attention to herself she could not have chosen anything more calculated to bring this result.

"Look!" whispered Brigitta. "Father is going to open the ball."

"I wonder who he will do it with this time," said Louisa sarcastically.

"With _whom_ he will do it," Maria corrected absentmindedly, her attention entirely on the scene below.

"We can´t see it from here," said Liesl. "Where should we go?"

"We can take the back stairs and watch it from the terrace," said Maria.

"Come on, quickly, I don´t want to miss it for the world," said Brigitta.

The orchestra had already begun to play a traditional waltz when Maria and the children reached the terrace. The Captain took The Baroness by his gloved hands, and led her to the center of the ballroom – just where Maria had seen him earlier.

Maria turned her eyes to the garden, but she found herself swaying to the rhythm of waltz. She couldn't help but recall Peggy's words from earlier. Peggy had once again implored her to reconsider becoming a nun. Peggy wanted her to kiss someone. Peggy wanted her to waltz. Her! Maria! Although that idea seemed a bit far-fetched, Maria couldn't help but think that a dance would be lovely. To be in the ballroom, twirling with all of the other ladies as the music soared above everyone. The waltz ended, people clapped. Another one began - the Blue Danube. She was startled from her fantasy by a male voice.

"Fräulein!"

She turned around quickly. "Yes, Captain?"

Apparently, he had not danced with the Baroness any longer than the rules of etiquette required.

"Do you mind parting from your charges for a few minutes? I wish to take them to meet some of the guests."

She looked to the children, their expressions unsure.

"Of course I don´t mind, Captain. They are your children!" And then she said to the children, who eyed her uncertainly. "Go on with your father, I will be waiting for you right here." The children remained silent. She insisted. "Oh come, you told me you wanted to meet the guests. Go on. _Mingle_!" They still did not move. "Why are you looking at me like that? Don´t you want to?"

"Not without you, Fräulein Maria," said Marta.

"Children, I cannot…"

The Captain interrupted her. "Yes, yes, of course you can. You too are free to wander around if you want to, Fräulein. You don´t have to be a wallflower."

"A wall… flower?"

"What I mean is that you do not have to hide out here. You can come inside with the children."

"Oh please, do come with us, Fräulein," pleaded Brigitta, and the others agreed.

"All right," she said, shrugging.

As they walked behind the children, towards the main hallway, he said to her, "They are still reluctant to leave your protection. They still fear me, don´t they?"

"You must give them time, Captain. Rome was not built in a day, was it?"

_Yes, but not many days are left until September,_ he thought.

They approached the door to the ball room, and he was greeted by his youngest child. "Father, do you know what I think you should do?"

"What, Gretl?" He asked, leaning down to her eye level.

"You should dance with Fräulein Maria." The other children smiled and nodded in approval.

He looked up at his governess and noted a startled expression upon her face. "Maybe I should," he whispered enigmatically, almost as if to himself. He then stood to escort his children into the ballroom. Unfortunately, Gretl´s comment was overheard by the Baroness, but his reply was not.

"That is preposterous, dear. Your father cannot dance with the governess, not matter how much you all adore her. Imagine the scandal!" Then she turned to Georg. "Can you imagine? You dancing with… with the _the governess_?" she laughed at her own joke.

The Captain was visibly annoyed. _This is my home, and I will dance with whom I please, whether it is appropriate or not._ But instead, he said.

"O-ho, I don't imagine that my two left feet will do much dancing this evening."

Maria followed the Captain and the children for a while. At first it was easy, because Marta and Gretl refused to let go of her hand, which probably reassured her more than it reassured the girls. But as the children began feeling more at ease, her own uneasiness increased. When she saw the Baroness staring at her quizzically, she knew it was time to leave and go back to her hiding place. Taking advantage of the first opportunity, she mumbled an excuse and did just that.

--

_A/N: Thanks to Mellie for her super beta work, and to Max, for suggesting the Count´s name. And to all of you dear reviewers!_


	5. Chapter 5

_Austrian Folk Dances _

_Part One – The Ländler_

_Chapter V_

_A/N: __"Shall we dance? On a bright cloud of music shall we fly? Shall we dance? Shall we then say goodnight and mean goodbye?" Rodgers and Hammerstein._

_Disclaimer: I do not own "The Sound of Music", etc._

**--**

_**"A woman knows the face of the man she loves like a sailor knows the open sea." **_

_**Honoré de Balzac**_

--

"There you are! Aren't you a breath of fresh air?" Maria looked up. It was the dark haired man who had been talking to the Captain earlier. She noticed that he was smiling at her, but she did not return the gesture. Actually, she was slightly annoyed that someone had disturbed her peace. From her position, she could see the children inside, talking to Baron and Baroness Eberfeld. Occasionally , one of the younger ones would gaze outside, to make sure she was watching them too. Now, the man stood between her and the children, blocking her view completely.

"Excuse me?" She sat up straight, obviously surprised by the man's excessive familiarity. He was the first guest who had spoken to her directly. The others had done it through the Captain, and, when they did, they would ask question about the children.

Without waiting for an invitation, he sat next to her on the bench. "So, what do you think of the old Captain?"

Startled by the man's frankness, Maria was unable to hold her tongue. "I think that he is not old, and that it is not my place to give an opinion."

"My darling, you'll be the death of some poor man one day!" The Count chuckled at her response.

_I am __nobody's darling,_ she wanted to scream. But this was the Captain's home, and she had no right to be rude to one of his guests. Instead, controlling her temper, she said coolly, "I am very sorry to hear that. Who are you, Sir, may I ask?"

"I am András, Count of Szaratay," he said, ceremoniously. Maria glanced at him, completely unaffected.

_Am I supposed to be impressed?_ She thought, rolling her eyes.

The Count was not able to hide his disappointment with her reaction. "Well, the Captain was right about you, at least. He said you were… what was it? Ah - unique, outspoken and very honest."

"The Captain never lies. If he says so, then it is the truth!" she answered simply, and without the slight hint of false modesty.

"I see. He also called you a spit-fire. No wonder he is so smitten."

_Smitten? The Captain? _But she did not have the time to analyze the bit of information, for the man was speaking again. "Are you usually so refreshingly direct?"

_When I want to get rid of people, yes. It usually works,_ she thought. "Captain von Trapp is a kind and a brave man. There you have it, my most sincere and honest opinion," she said instead.

Oblivious to Maria's attempt at rebuffing him, the man pressed on. "You do not fear him? Not at all?"

Genuinely surprised, Maria responded, "Why should I? The Captain was known by his fair treatment of his subordinates while in active duty. I know that much about him."

"Yes, but you are not on one of his submarines!"

"I don't need to be. If you'll excuse me please, sir." Maria rose to leave, trying to find the solace that she had sought earlier. She began walking towards the maze when she heard the man continue.

"How fiercely you rise to defend him. Ah, but if you only knew him five years ago…" Maria turned, intrigued by the man's words. "I know women, Fräulein. It is his pain that makes him so fascinating to impressionable girl like you. You must know by now that half of him died when he lost his beloved Agathe, and the other half with the grief that followed. Or so I thought until tonight. There is a sparkle in his eyes I had not seen in quite a while."

_That is not a sparkle –__ it's a disappointing gleam. It means that he is mad at me for some reason. Am I allowing the children too much freedom tonight?_ She wondered, trying to peek inside the room, to reassure the children were still entertaining the Eberfelds.

"He always looks at people like that," she said, unable to disguise the worry in her voice.

"Well, I don't have a wife, but if he looked at her the way looked at you earlier this evening, we would be dueling in the morning…" Maria's eyes widened. "No, don't look so surprised."

Seeking strength that Maria wasn't sure she possessed, her fingers automatically went to her chest, finding the hard metal of the pin buried beneath her dress. _Could he be correct? The Captain has…no! That's impossible!_ "I'm sure I don't know what you mean, sir." But even as she said that, her eyes sought the Captain. And she sensed, rather than saw him there, leaning against the door to the ballroom, looking straight at them.

The Count gave a small smile. He stood and walked closer to her as he spoke. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to upset you. You are quite enchanting you know, and, to be honest, I am not so sure what our dear Georg _does_ think of you. But, enough about him. What about _you_?"

Thrown off balance by the man's sudden change in the topic of the conversation, Maria quickly replied. "Not much to tell, I'm just the governess."

¨_You are not, and never will be - "only the governess¨… No, you are much too unique to be just that. I ask you never to say that again_.¨ Those were the Captain's words to her only two nights ago.

He leaned in conspiringly towards Maria, his black eyes gleaming with malice. "If you were, he would not be looking at me right now as if he wanted to tie me to a torpedo and fire me." She looked for Captain to see if the man's assessment hand been correct, never noticing the Count's next move. He leaned back from her and gave an appraising look at her up and down, taking in every detail of her appearance – her simple dress, her short dark-blond hair, the rosy tint of her cheeks. "Tell me, what have you done to make him boil like that just from seeing you talking with another man?"

Maria laughed and faced the Count once again. "He is not… _boiling. _It is just the way he is. The fact is -I should be with the children now, and - uh - as you can see, I am not. In fact, where are they?" She looked around into the ballroom, nervously.

He stepped closer to her, watching her. "I have never seen a grown up woman blush like that before. It's…"

Maria turned towards him, and recoiled at what she saw in his eyes. It was cold and calculating and she shuddered. He stepped closer to her, and she became increasingly uncomfortable with the man's familiarity. More than that, she was becoming alarmed at his proximity and the liberties he had already taken with her. She began walking towards the open doors of the ballroom, trying to put distance between them. "If you would excuse me please." He grabbed her hand, not allowing her to leave.

"My dear…" The icy and unfamiliar gaze of the Count haunted her. His hand on her wrist felt cold and unrelenting.

"Please, I need to attend to the children." She tried to remove her hand from his grasp, unsuccessfully. "Let me go please, sir."

"And if I refuse?" He asked, pulling her closer towards him. His fingers hurt her, holding her tightly, holding her against her will.

--

Captain Georg Ritter von Trapp should have known better. András, his soon to be former friend, would not pay any attention to his warnings about Maria. At first he tried to keep her in his view, by asking her to join the children, while he introduced them to some of the guests. But she had been clearly uncomfortable with the situation, and when she made an excuse to leave, he did not stop her. At least he could still keep an eye on the Count, if not on her. Even though he was standing by the door that connected the ballroom to the foyer, his superior height allowed him to glimpse over his guests. He saw her outside, sitting on a bench by the entrance of the maze. Unfortunately, András saw her too. When the Captain saw the Count leaving through the doors to the garden, he knew that he could not just watch and let him try to play his little games with Maria.

"Elsa, if you excuse me for a moment," he whispered to her, discreetly.

"Oh no, darling," she replied taking a hold of his hand. "You promised me another waltz, remember?" There was nothing else he could do but to dance around the ballroom with Elsa. And when the British Ambassador cut in, he could barely hide his relief.

Georg arrived at the door to the garden in time to see András giving an appraising look at Maria, up and down, taking in every detail of her appearance – her simple dress, her short dark-blond hair, the rosy tint of her cheeks. Maria, on the other hand, seemed completely oblivious to the leering gaze that she was being subjected to – almost as if she had been looking for someone. She was _laughing_. To make matters worse, András took the unspeakable liberty of taking her hand.

"Like hell he will," he muttered between clenched teeth, and walked forward with a mission in mind: to stop the _Graf von Szaratay_.

--

"_And if I refuse?"_

Maria studied the man's eyes for the first time. She had found them unsettling, even from a distance, earlier. He had small, black eyes that glinted with something that she had never detected before. It was nothing like what she had occasionally seen in the Captain's eyes. It was something else, completely distasteful. Repulsive. It made her skin crawl.

"I might have to hurt you, _Count_" she said firmly. She had been called _charming,_ _enchanting, exquisite _and _alluring_ that evening. And none of the times it had been honest, and she had hated the condescending, sarcastic tone in the person's voice when they said it. It was enough.

"And so will I," the Captain's deep voice spoke behind them. Maria jumped. "What has the _Graf von Szaratay_ done to you, Fräulein that you are so inclined to hurt him?" Maria turned around, to find him only a few feet away. How had he done that? A few moments ago, she had seen him at the opposite end of the ballroom, closer to the foyer. In a matter of moments he was like a knight ridding in on his horse. He continued, smirking, "Although I am not sure he won't deserve such a punishment."

Maria turned to the Count who finally let go of her hand. He was _blushing_ – she had never seen a man blush before. She didn't know if it was from anger or embarrassment. The Count murmured an excuse and left.

"Coward," Georg hissed. And turned to Maria. "Well, you seem to be very good at… how did you call it earlier tonight? _Mingling._" He said walking towards her, removing his gloves.

"That was not _mingling_, Captain!" she said irritably, still angry at the Count.

"Oh, it wasn't? And what do _you _call it?" He raised an inquisitive eyebrow.

"Your _friend_ talked to me, and it would be extremely impolite of me not to say anything back, wouldn't it? Even though he is a… a…"

"The word you are looking for, Fräulein, is _scoundrel_. Because in all your politeness, you still wanted to inflict him bodily harm." He turned to watch the retreating backside of the Count in the ballroom, and observed him approaching Elsa. "Consequently, what did he want from you?" His tone was light but with an air of concern.

_And what did he say to you in the __reception line?_ She wanted to ask.

"Again, I was just following your specific orders, Captain."

"Oh yes? And how so?"

"You told me I did not have to be a _wallflower_." He turned towards her again.

"What did he say?" he insisted.

"Nothing. As a matter of fact, he was talking about you."

"Oh, was he?"

"Hm mm. He did mentioned something about you wanting to fire a torpedo."

_At him, yes, _he thought. "Hah! Now, _that_ is an intriguing idea." He slapped his gloves into his hands.

Unable to resist the opportunity given her, Maria added, "And he was just telling me how you got that medal around your neck for refusing to obey a superior order! I found that very interesting, of course."

His short intake of breath was audible. At last she had succeeded in making him fall into his own trap. He walked towards her, and spoke in a hushed tone. "Allow me to offer you some advice – _again_. If you really want to become a virtuous nun, you should stay away from such types."

"Which types?"

"Libertines. Philanderers. Rakes."

"Captain, it is not the first time you have made this kind of remark. The other day in town you…"

He stood in front of her, closer than the Count had been. And yet, Maria felt as distant from him as she had the stranger. This was not the same man who had tenderly sung Edelweiss to his children not too long ago. No, the stern and strict Captain stood in front of her now. "Fräulein, I am _not_ the type of man who says anything without a very good reason for it."

"Do you honestly think I am so naïve that I would have noticed if I was being… _courted_?"

"Yes, I do, and we have had _this_ conversation before. But I don't think that _courting _was what the Count had in mind. And you, Fräulein, would not recognize a flirting remark even if it smacked you on the face. Because if you did, you…" He cursed underneath his breath. "Another minute and he would…"

"Would what?"

The worried tone of her voice was enough for him to embellish the truth. "He would have – uh…" He wanted to say that András would have done precisely what Peggy had suggested that afternoon. Instead, he continued "- asked you to dance. What would you do?"

"I would refuse, naturally." She stood facing him, hands on her hips, defiantly.

"Hah. Refuse? Did you know that protocol forbids you to refuse a dance when a gentleman asks you?"

"I am sorry, Captain, but I am not used to such conventions, and they mean nothing to me. And you just called him a… a…"

"I know what I called him." His tone was menacing, as if trying to convey the brevity of the man's faults.

"I don't think that it means he qualifies as a gentleman, does it?" She asked testily.

"No. However…" He was interrupted before he could finish.

"Then I _could_ have refused him. If he isn't a gentleman then I'm not breaking protocol." She replied triumphantly.

"Oh ho! And pray, tell me Fräulein, what is _your_ definition of a gentleman?" He looked at her, daring to give him an answer.

"I don't know, but certainly not _him!"_ She was caught off guard by his question. What _did_ she consider to be the makings of a gentleman? Someone gentle, eloquent, brave, someone like… Maria's eyes widened when she realized that _he_ was her definition of a gentleman.

"What if _I_ asked you to dance?" It was clear to her that the question was out of his mouth before he could stop himself.

"Captain!" she exclaimed.

"Well? If I extended my hand to you, asking for a dance, what would you do?¨

"But… eh… that wouldn't be right, would it? You wouldn't want to dance with me. You may be a gentleman, but I am not a…"

_I am not a lady,_ she concluded in thought.

"I know what you are going to say. Don't say it," he warned, but his tone was unexpectedly gentle.

"But… eh… that wouldn't be right, would it? You wouldn't want to dance with me. It would be… _wrong_."

He just _looked _at her then. "Would you refuse me?" He sounded hurt, like he did not believe what he had just heard.

"I don't know," she said. "It would be most… _unorthodox_. You should be with the guests, Captain. You should be with the Baroness, it is her ball. You forget…"

"That you are a governess?" She nodded. "I could forget it, if you allowed me to. I… I want to forget it. You are so much more to – uh - to the children than just that. You are… ¨ he thought for a moment, carefully searching his next words, ¨You are their friend!" When he saw her smile, he started putting on his gloves again. Maria knew what he was going to do next. He wasn't seriously considering… _was he?_

¨_A gentleman _never_ dances without his gloves,_¨ Liesl had informed her earlier. ¨_Men tend to perspire when they dance and their hands become unpleasant for a lady to touch,_¨ the eldest von Trapp had recited, knowingly.

"May I have this dance - Fräulein Maria?" he asked, enigmatically, extending her his hand.

The orchestra was playing another waltz, this one by another Strauss – Richard Strauss. It was a waltz from the opera _Der Rosenkavalier_, darker, more dramatic. Maria looked at his white gloved hand, unable to resist. She did not know how to waltz, she was not wearing gloves like a lady should, but she did not even think about any of it at the moment. Slowly, she raised her hand to meet his. Their fingers were only a hair breath away, when, to Maria's horror, a party of guests, chatting gaily invaded the garden. She pulled her hand back immediately, and put it to her head, in acute embarrassment.

"I… I had better go see about the children Captain." She made a move as if to pass him. She felt his gloved hand on her wrist, holding her back. It was the same arm which the Count had held earlier, but this grip was different, for although it held her to him, it wasn't tight. She looked at him, her eyes asking him if he had really meant to dance with her. His voice answered her.

"Before this party is over, you _will_ dance with me, Fräulein, as you were _meant_ to dance with me." he said, careful not to be overheard by the others. He looked deeply into her eyes, searching for some recognition of the affection that he held for this young woman. "Perhaps Peggy was right about one thing, the least I could do is dance with you."

With that, he walked away, leaving Maria completely baffled.

--

_A/N: __Once more I should thank Max for helping me to fix a small detail in the previous Chapter and in this one. And Mellie, I am so happy you survived tax season and helped me with this Chapter! Have fun in your well deserved vacation, dear:-)_


	6. Chapter 6

_Austrian Folk Dances _

_Part One – The Ländler_

_Chapter VI_

_A/N:_"_Or perchance, when the last little star has left the sky, shall we still be together with our arms around each other, and shall you be my new romance? On the clear understanding that this kind of thing can happen shale we dance, shall we dance, shall we dance?_" Rodgers & Hammerstein.

_My usual thanks to Mellie, my beta!_

_Disclaimer: I do not own "The Sound of Music", etc._

--

_**A child no more! a maiden now--  
A graceful maiden, with a gentle brow;  
A cheek tinged lightly and a dove-like eye;  
And all hearts bless her as she passes by.**_

_**Mary Howitt **_

--

After he went back inside with his guests, Maria went to the maze, to try to recover her composure. At first, she considered going up to her room, feigning a headache. But soon she chastised herself for being such a coward. There were, of course, the children to consider – she could not just vanish before they said their goodbyes to the guests. So, she stayed outside amidst the trees and bushes, taking solace in her solitude. She meandered on the grounds trying to think of anything but the Captain. She remained hidden from the guests and the children until her heartbeat returned to a certain degree of normalcy. Then she returned to face the rest of the night.

Back to the terrace, she had to smile when she found Friedrich and Liesl attempting a waltz.

"Why didn't you children tell me you could dance?"

Kurt provided the answer. "We were afraid you'd make us all dance together – " he attempted a mock dance step, " - the Von Trapp Family Dancers!"

"I can´t say that the thought would not have crossed my mind, Kurt!"

The other children laughed, and Maria joined them.

_This_ _is why I am here,_ she thought. _This is what I should remember. The children are the only ones who matter, the only ones I should worry about – at least until September. I cannot allow other thoughts to distract me from the purpose I was sent here for – to help them prepare for a mother._

The music stopped, the guests applauded. Maria gazed inside the ballroom, and saw Captain von Trapp_,_ walking among his guests. He looked as if he was searching for someone. The orchestra began playing again, a different rhythm. That attracted the children's attention to the ballroom, and they peered inside. The same melody that Maria had heard that morning, wafted to her ears again. She smiled at her own foolishness of dancing with an imaginary partner then.

"What's that they are playing?" Brigitta asked.

_The children of Austria´s greatest __patriots did not recognize one of their country´s most beloved dances_ – the thought briefly crossed Maria´s mind. But then she remembered Frau Schmidt´s words, on the day of her arrival, just before her first confrontation with the Captain.

"_The Von Trapp children don't play. They march.__ Ever since the Captain lost his poor wife, he - he runs this house as if he were on one of his ships again. Whistles, orders. No more music, no more laughing. Nothing that reminds him of her... even the children."_

Yes, how could Brigitta known about the Ländler if there had been virtually no music in the house since she was Marta´s age? "It's the Ländler. It's an Austrian folk dance," Maria explained.

"It is nice – I like it!" exclaimed Louisa, causing Maria to smile. Louisa so rarely admitted she liked anything!

"It is a peasant´s dance, and very, very Austrian," Liesl commented. "Mother used to love it! It is meant for courtship, you know."

"Show me." Kurt turned to Maria, imploring her to be his guide.

"Oh, Kurt, I haven't danced that since I was a little girl."

_I did it this morning, by myself, but I __don't think it counts,_ she thought.

"Oh, you remember. Please."

"Well –" She hesitated. It was one thing, dancing it by herself. Dancing with a partner was another matter entirely, even if the partner in question was the eleven year old son of her employer.

"Please," the boy repeated, pleadingly.

_Is any female immune to the charm of a von Trapp male?,_ she wondered seeing a hint of the boy's father in his façade.

"All right, come on over here." They moved to the center of the terrace. The other children whispered excitedly among themselves, as if sensing that something very special was about to happen.

"Now, you bow and I curtsy," she instructed, taking her flowing skirts and performing a graceful movement.

"Like this?" the boy asked, bowing, just like he had seen his father to some of the guests.

"Good! Now, we go for a little walk - this way," she instructed with a gesture.

She took Kurt's hands and began leading him into a dance step.

"One, two, three. One, two, three."

--

When the Captain came out from the ballroom, his eyes fell upon six of his children. They were staring open mouthed at the center of the garden, where their Fräulein was introducing his youngest son to the intricacies of one of Austria's most beloved folkloric dances. Not with much success, however, although he had to give his son credit for trying.

Georg von Trapp smiled, and for a number of reasons.

He smiled because he felt inexplicably amused. Because dancing – or, at least, trying to teach a child how to dance – was one of the things his governess obviously did not excel at.

_There it is, one thing that I can do better than her,_ he thought. At least as far as the children were concerned.

He remembered the sound of Agathe´s laughter when he had introduced Liesl to the first steps of the waltz, when she was about Brigitta´s age. He never knew if he had succeeded because of his eldest daughter's natural grace and elegance – which he always believed was inherited from her mother -, or because he was actually _good_ in leading a female into a dance, no matter her age.

His wife had said, jokingly:

"_You know, Georg, if you ever loose your fortune and become one of those impoverished noblemen we hear so much about, you can always make good money teaching the young ladies of Viennese society how to waltz and play the piano… although I am not sure I would like that very much. They would all fall head over heels in love with their instructor and try to seduce you away from me._"

His answer to her had been a mock scowl, just before he removed baby Gretl from her arms and handled her to Liesl. Then he lead Agathe in a waltz around the ballroom, while the children watched them The look in their eyes then was remarkably similar to the one they had now, while watching their governess. And Agathe had laughed. Her laughter was so different than Fräulein Maria's, and no less honest, but it was as delicate and contained as Agathe herself. It was the kind of women's laughter one usually heard in society's salons. He remembered that once his vibrant young governess had laughed so hard at something Kurt had said, that she doubled over, and there were tears in her eyes. The liveliness that was Maria was evident even in her laughter.

He focused his full and complete attention in the dancing pair again. This was not a sophisticated waltz. It was a simply, country dance, a peasant's dance, usually described by connoisseurs as a courtship ritual. Agathe had not been familiar with it until he taught her, during their engagement. He knew that many of his guests were probably sneering at his choice of music, but he wanted his party, like all others he had hosted in the past, to reflect he love for his country. And so, the other reason he had to smile was because it occurred to him that this was how the Ländler should be danced. Not in an aristocratic ballroom, with dancers wearing elaborate gowns that kept them from moving as they should. Maria's dress may not have been perfect for the party, but it was perfect for the Ländler, _she_ was perfect for it, the perfect embodiment of the country that he loved.

"One, two, three, step together. Now, step hop. Step hop. Now, turn under. Whoop, not quite."

His smile broadened, when he noticed that his Fräulein had not taken into account the obvious difference in height with her partner. The pair was dancing their way back towards him.

"This way. Hop, step, hop, and under… Hmm -- uh –"

He saw Maria straining her back, bending backwards, trying to reach Kurt's hands over her head, but without success. To his right, some of the children giggled.

_Why exactly am__ I so bent on doing this?_ Georg asked himself, pulling on his impeccable white gloves with determined gestures. Fate had granted him a second chance, and he had decided not to waste it. Was it only to defy the "_thou shall not dance with the governess" _rule? Was it to convince himself that he could lead a woman – any woman – in a dance? Or was it because of Austria… no, not because of Austria, he had to admit to himself.

He had not planned on dancing at his own party, at least not more than the rules of etiquette demanded of him. He would dance the required first waltz with Baroness Schraeder, his guest of honor and most probably his future wife, and that would be all, if he could avoid it. The truth was that he had lost his taste for dancing when he lost Agathe. Even after he had met Elsa, he agreed to dance only to amuse her, but never himself. She had indeed brought him back to life, but not back to the dance floors. Dancing, just like his piano music, was too intimately linked to the painful past memories.

But he had to admit that Agathe had nothing to do with whatever was happening to him tonight. For the first time, he admitted to himself that, as far as the little Fräulein was concerned, the painful memories rarely intruded. He wasn't sure if it was the house full of guests, his new-found closeness with his children, or their governess. He _wanted_ to dance with Maria before the night was over, and he conceded to himself that he had made that decision the moment he saw her entering the ballroom that evening.

"Kurt, we _really_ have to practice!"

The governess's laughter reminded him of his intentions. _Time to show them all how this is done,_ he thought. _Time to show_ her_ how to dance like an Austrian._

Cutting in, he poked on his son's shoulder.

"Do allow me, will you?"

"Mm-hm," said Kurt, walking away to join the other children, glowing with pride because his father had just treated him like a man when he interrupted the dance with his Fräulein.

_A gentleman should make certain to ask a lady for the honor of a dance with her, for an honor it is; and it is hers to bestow,_ he remembered his mother instructing him when he was still a boy of Friedrich´s age who was more interested in war ships and U-boats than in the intricacies of ballroom etiquette.

For the second time that evening, he extended her his gloved hand.

--

Maria turned around, her eyes wide. He did not have to say the words again - "_May I have this dance - Fräulein Maria_?" Other words he had said earlier echoed in her mind once more.

"_Before this party is over, you will dance with me, Fräulein, as you were meant to dance with me_."

Deep inside, she regretted not taking his hand fast enough before. This time, her hesitation, although was still there, though much more brief. She placed her small hand into his much larger, gloved one.

The gloves…

Liesl had briefly told her how complicated the glove etiquette was – the sixteen year old was already practicing for when she would be allowed to wear them. Maria noticed that he had his gloves on while he was standing at the receiving line, and then while he danced with the Baroness. She had not noticed when he had removed them, but he did not have them on while they talked earlier. The way he had deliberately pulled them on earlier when he asked her to dance, the look in his eyes as he had extended his hand, the way her heart fluttered as she saw her bare hand reaching for his… it had all seemed so… _unreal_.

They started dancing, and after only a few steps, she began to regain her confidence.

_So this is how the Ländler is __supposed to be danced,_ Maria thought briefly, unaware of the fact that she was echoing his thoughts. Not with another girl partner, not with an eleven year old boy, no matter how adorable her previous partners in the dance had been. _Is this what I missed for not having danced with Stefan when I was Kurt's age?_

She did not think so.

Amused, she thought of the girl who had been preferred by Stefan, secretly wishing that they both could see her now, dancing with a sea captain.

_The Ländler is a dance of courtship,_ her teacher had recited all those years ago, when she was a child. It was almost like play-acting, the man guiding the woman through the intricate steps, the woman teasing and trying to escape him, as they got closer and closer. Maria allowed herself to be guided, concentrating, at first, on the dance itself, rather than in the disturbing presence of the Captain. And it was a relief to realize that, at first, he was doing just the same. _I wager that he too has not danced this in a while,_ she thought. Dreamily, she allowed the music to take over her feet, as she danced with a grace and skill that she did not even know she possessed. His hands on her waist guided her to the next step, and the next, and she never hesitated, never faltered. Suddenly, all the worries, all the frightening new feelings she had been experiencing vanished, and in their place there was lightness in her spirit that she had not felt in a while – probably since that morning in the mountains, before the Reverend Mother summoned her.

_No matter what happens, al__ways in future, the Ländler will always mean to me a playful dance in a moonlit garden with Captain Georg Ritter von Trapp, decorated officer of the Imperial Navy as my partner_, she thought. They may take the anchor brooch that he had pinned on her, the memory of this night would always be with her.

The dance proceeded, both of their moods light. The Captain clapped his hands as Maria danced around him. Then she stopped, teasingly, and he danced around her. With their eyes, they exchanged a silent conversation, words that would never pass their lips passed through their gazes.

"_I said that you were meant to dance with me, didn't I?" _he said, shaking his head and smiling after they successfully performed a particularly difficult step. "_I said that you would be dancing with me before the night was over…"_

"_And I knew you would be right one of these days,_" Maria's eyes answered.

Unfortunately, Maria's carefree mood would not last for long. When the dance required that the Captain walk a few feet in front of her, so that he would blindly reach for her hand over his shoulder, she remembered just what was about to come. The next steps would bring them closer and closer together, in an intricate succession of arm tying movements. Gone was her smile, and her flushed face betrayed all her worries. As for the Captain, his face bore the same intensity, and Maria would have noticed that, only if she were brave enough to look at him.

_No! Don't look at him,_ she told herself. _You will be fine if you just don't look at him_. _Keep your eyes anywhere else but on his – it has worked before, it won't fail you now._ _Don't look,_ Maria's mind kept screaming, _whatever happens,_ _don't look at him._ Her gaze was fixed on the enameled cross around his neck.

But she looked – in spite of herself. And what she saw made her dizzy, as the world around them disappeared and the night air surrounding her crackled with electricity. He was so close, his eyes were so intense, and his gaze was so disarming. _You should see that this girl is properly and thoroughly kissed_ Peggy's words haunted her. She held her breath in anticipation –of what, she wasn't quite sure. She had never fancied the idea of kissing a man, but here in this moment, she could think of nothing else, even though she was vaguely aware of his seven children watching them. _Is this what Peggy was trying to get her to realize? Is this what she was meant to feel? _

The effect lasted only for a second, and as soon as she recovered her senses, their hands parted, and she stepped back, troubled, but still unable to tear her gaze from his.

"I don't remember any more," she said, their gazes still locked.

"Your face is all red," said Brigitta, and the spell began to be broken.

"Is it?" Maria touched her face. It burned, like if she had a fever. "I don't suppose I'm used to dancing," she said.

The Captain smiled tenderly. He had smiled at her like that before, but not with such intensity. The music ended, the guests applauded, but they still seemed to be lost in their own private world.

The Baroness, deciding that she had seen enough, walked over to the Captain.

"Why, that was beautifully done. What a _lovely_ couple you make."

"Yes," he said simply.

_Yes. _Maria told herself that this couldn't be happening, not to her.

"You dance extremely well, Maria," Elsa said. "And Georg here was _never_ able to resist a good dancer. What a perfect match. Isn't that true, darling?" she asked him. He remained silent, still looking at Maria. The Baroness kept talking. "The Ländler was always a favorite of yours, wasn't it? You both looked… _enraptured._"

It was the word – _enraptured_ – that finally broke the spell. Maria was overcome with shame, and she was only glad that the moonlight disguised the color of her face. The Baroness sounded almost… _jealous_. But how could a woman as sophisticated as the Baroness be jealous of her?

"I think it's time the – uh - children said good night," the Captain finally spoke. There was still softness in his voice that was unknown to Maria.

Goodnight – goodnight? Was it really that late already? _Is this how Cinderella felt when she heard the first stroke of midnight?_ "Yes. We'll be in the hall in a moment. We've got something very special prepared, right?" she said, turning to the children.

"Right. Yeah. Yes. Let's go. Come on."

--

A/N: Thank you all for your reviews!


	7. Chapter 7

Austrian Folk Dances

Part One – The Ländler

Chapter VII

_Disclaimer: I do not own "The Sound of Music", you know the rest!._

**--**

_**"Maybe the wildest dreams are but the needful preludes of the truth."**_

_**  
**__**Alfred Lord Tennyson**_

**--**

"_There's a sad sort of clanking  
From the clock in the hall  
And the bells in the steeple too.  
And up in the nursery an absurd little bird  
Is popping up to say cukoo!  
Cukoo! Cukoo!  
Regretfully they tell us__" _(1)

But firmly they compel us  
To say goodbye to you.

The children began their goodnight song to the guests and Maria discretely hid herself behind a column as they sang. She stood there, concealed from prying eyes – and from Captain von Trapp. She didn't want to think about it, yet it was the only thought running rampant in her mind. _Him_. Her eyes inevitably strayed to him. Fortunately, he seemed so proud, so enchanted by his children, that he did not notice her.

_Why had he done it?_

All Maria had to do was to raise her eyes, turn her gaze away from the children and look at all his guests, all those wealthy aristocrats, those refined men and women, to realize how staggering the differences between both of their worlds were. In her mind, there were only two ways in which she could be a part of that world. One was being a servant, which she already was. The other was too dishonorable, too shameful to be considered. Her cheeks heated at the mere thought of it – she had seen to many children at the orphanage who had resulted from such unfortunate situations. How could she be his… his… and would he even want her as such? _And why am I even thinking such things?_ She questioned herself. It was a dance, a simple dance between employer and employee. _Nothing more!_ She admonished herself.

Liesl was beginning her solo. _Why had he done it?_ She repeated the question. Of course he had to be aware of that as well, aware of their social differences. And yet, he had defied them all and danced with her in the terrace… She looked at him again. There was a look of pure paternal pride as he watched the children, with a little mischief, when he heard Liesl ask to try her first champagne. His gloved fingers were on his chin, a gesture which he used to try and hide his amusement. _He's failing miserably,_ she told herself.

Her gaze went to the Maria-Theresien cross around his neck. _He was awarded it because he did not play by the rules,_ she thought. And wondered how far he would be willing to bend the rules, in her case. _Bend the rules? No, break them.. _And for what? A dance? _It's more than that, _her heart screamed – but her mind didn't listen. She tried to convince herself that a man like the Captain wouldn't push etiquette aside for anyone – not even her. She studied him – his amused gaze at his children, the possessive grip of the Baroness's hand upon his arm, his medals gleaming in the light.

It was the sparkle of the medals that made her realize something - Captain Georg Ritter von Trapp was, above all, a patriot. And even in those dangerous times, he never did a thing to hide the love he felt for his land. He even flaunted an Austrian flag in the hallway, and she had seen more than a few raised eyebrows at the gesture. When he saw her dancing the Ländler… a simple folk dance which was usually banished from high society balls - maybe, just maybe, it was _that_ feeling in him that made him move forward and cut in. He wanted to be close to Austria, and, in that moment, she represented Austria. He had, after all, said that she looked _very Austrian_ in her attire. The possibility was much less terrifying to her than everything else she had been considering. _That must be it_ she tried to convince herself. It was much easier to accept the facts under this perspective.

But then his eyes shifted from his children to her. Their eyes met in the briefest of glances before returning his gaze towards his children. She leaned against the column, the cold marble hard against her hands and her chest. She noted that his whole demeanor changed. Gone was the softness and pride towards his children, in it's place was something else. The Baroness's grip tightened on the Captain, and he looked to the woman standing at his side, the woman who would be his bride. Maria couldn't watch them – she didn't want to see him as he looked upon his future bride.

"_I'm glad to go I cannot tell a lie  
I flit, I float  
I fleetly flee I fly__." _(1)

She looked at the children again. The girls were doing a marvelous job at doing their little dance, then directing Gretl. She stole a glance at him, and her breath caught when she realized he had been watching her. He looked at her again, like he did while they were dancing. Again, her world narrowed down to nothing but him – as if there weren't hundreds of guests surrounding them, or his children, or the Baroness.

But there was something else there in his eyes, a range of feelings that were hard to identify. He looked at her… pensively, almost analytically. As if she were some kind if military target at which he was about to aim one of his deadly torpedoes. It was obvious that he too had seen what she had recognized; he too saw the vivid contrast between her and his guests. And he too was struggling, although she could not tell the nature of his inward battles.

"_The sun has gone to bed and so must I  
So long Farewell  
Aufwiedersehn  
Goodbye__._

_Goodbye__…_

_Goodbye__…_

_Goodbye__…_

_Goodbye__…__" _(1)

The children were through the door of the nursery, the guests were delighted with their performance, but was he? Was the battle she had seen brewing in his eyes directed at her or because of her? Had she gone too far in allowing the children to perform at his ball, or was there something else?

It was clear to Maria, that, whatever battles he was getting ready to fight, _she_ had already lost. His whole attitude following the children's presentation told her as much. The glance he threw towards her, just before he was surrounded by his guests was... superior, almost indifferent. Haughty. He had become as cold as the column in front of her – as cold as the Count earlier in the evening.

She looked around quickly. With the children gone, she had no more allies. She was, more than ever, a fish out of the water. All that was left to do was to get out of there quickly.

"They're extraordinary. What they would do at the festival!" she heard Herr Detweiler saying to the Captain. When she tried to scurry away, it was already too late. "Oh,  
young lady, I must have a word with you." He took her elbow and dragged her towards Georg and a group of guests.

"Georg, Georg! You're not going to let this girl get away. She has to join the party."

"No, really, I—" she protested, trying to get away from them all. Trying to hide once again.

"Sh sh sh. Stop it." The Baroness glared at Max and some of the other guests eyed her curiously. Max insisted "Georg, please."

"You can if you want to, Fräulein." His tone was cold, dismissive. A painful reminder of an expression that the Captain wouldn't say, wouldn´t allow her to say, but would think _– _she was_ just a governess_. Never had she felt so unprotected, so alone, so out of place.

"I insist. You will be my dinner partner." The he turned to the Baroness, and whispered – not low enough so that Maria would not hear it. "This is business." Then he spoke to the stiff butler, still holding her arm "Franz, set another place next to mine for Fräulein Maria."

The butler could not hide his hesitation, unsure what to do. That only made Maria´s uneasiness grow. Franz looked at the Captain for approval, but got only a curt nod in response.

"Whatever you say, Herr Detweiler." Franz did nothing more than raise an eyebrow at her, but Maria could understand what it meant. _The help_ simply did not eat with the guests. And the Captain had only agreed to that because it was better to go along with Herr Detweiler´s eccentricities than to start a confrontation with him in front of the guests.

"Well, it appears to be all arranged, doesn't it?" There it was again, that haughty tone. To which the Baroness added, icily.

"It certainly does."

Maria made one last attempt to escape the mortifying situation. "I'm not suitably dressed."

"Uh, well, you can change. We'll wait for you, " was the Captain´s quick, and yet dismissive response.

Maria was in a daze. Nothing made sense anymore. First he had looked at her like if the rest of the world disappeared. Then he treated her with indifference. Now he said that he would make the whole dinner party _wait for her_? It was too much. Her hands flew to her head. "All right," she resigned, walking away.

--

"_You can change. We'll wait for you."_

_Change? Into what?_ Her mind began racing at the thought. The dress she had on was the only one she had planned to wear this evening, and even it was borrowed. _Doesn't he know that I don't have anything else?_ He had spoken like she had arrived from the convent with the same kind of luggage the Baroness carried along when she traveled. And now they would wait for her, what was she to do? Naturally she could not keep them waiting. She was so distracted that she nearly ran into Frau Schmidt on the way to her room.

"Yes… I mean _no_! Ahem… everything is… fine. I… I'm sorry, I don't seem to be myself, do I?"

"No, dear, you don't. I realize that it isn't my place to say, but… Is it true then? What they are saying?"

"What are they saying?" Maria was confused, what was _who_ saying?

"Franz told me you _danced_. The Ländler. And with the _Captain_. _In the moonlight_! _Alone!_" Frau Schmidt said the words like they were a piece of juicy, delicious gossip.

Franz had mentioned it to her? Had he mentioned it to anyone else? That could have been the explanation for him to look so stiff and haughty when Herr Detweiler invited her to dinner. _Walls may not have years or eyes, but butlers do – I should have learned that long ago,_ she chastized herself.

Maria hurried to correct her, stumbling upon the words in her eagerness to do so. "Oh – that. That is not entirely true. I was… we were… not alone. The Captain - he wanted to show Kurt how it was done, and I was close by. The guests were all in the ballroom…" She said, hating the way that her excuses seemed feeble.

Why did she feel like if she had done something wrong, something… _depraved_? In her mind, dancing with a man never qualified as a sin, even remotely so – even though she had never done it before, as an adult. Dance – and music – were a part of the Austrian soul, and how can something that is part of a whole nation´s soul, an expression of joy and pride, be shameful? Hastily, she made a mental note to discuss the matter with the Reverend Mother, or Sister Margaretta. It certainly did not feel _unholy_ in any way, at least while she danced with _him_. It felt… _right_. It did not matter how odd she felt afterwards, but the dance itself had been nothing but… _perfect._

"I see. And_ all_ the other children were around?" the housekeeper inquired suspiciously.

"Naturally they were!" Maria was appalled by the mere possibility insinuated by the woman and by Franz. "The Captain only asked me to dance in order please them. Naturally I could not refuse him, could I?" _There,_ she thought – _attacking was usually the best defense. _She almost added that, in fact, Gretl had asked him to dance with her earlier, but decided against it. _Anything I say now will only help to make things worse,_ she concluded.

"No, of course you could not have refused him, not if he had asked you. But… oh well…"

"What?"

"It's funny what a man will do to please his children. Even a man like the Captain." The housekeeper gave her a knowing look and went on about her business.

Maria couldn't help but wonder what the older woman meant by that remark. Of course she knew the answer – it was in the fevered thoughts she was having while the children were singing.

If he had done it only to appease his children, then why had he asked her to dance earlier in the evening? What would Frau Schmidt have said to that? She also wondered what the Captain´s reaction would be when he heard the gossip concerning their dance. There had been nothing tawdry about it, nothing shameful – and yet Maria feared that it would be misconstrued into something – something less beautiful than what it was. She had done it herself, hadn´t she? And if she had thought about it, why not anyone else – Frau Schmidt, for instance?

But it had been beautiful, the simple song, the moonlight, the children, their father_…_ But would others see it for what it was – two people dancing? She didn't think so, and already she was concerned about what it would do to him. Would the gossip be another item to add to his list of "_reasons why I should dismiss the twelfth governess_"? She wondered if there was enough paper in Salzburg to write such a list, as long as it was now.

What was she expecting? He had defied society by dancing with her. He had defied etiquette, defied society, defied the Baroness.

_Why had he done it?_

--

_A/N: _

_(1) Lyrics by Rodgers and Hammerstein._

_(2) Thanks to Mellie D. for the amazing beta work (honestly, she co-authored this one!). And Max, thank you in advance for the "buts"!_


	8. Chapter 8

_Austrian Folk Dances _

_Part One – The Ländler_

_Chapter VIII _

Final Chapter

_A/N: _"_But I have never done a thing to…"_

_Just a little "warning" first..__. This is the final chapter. You will see that there is a lot of movement of Maria, which I think is consistent with her state of confusion. Remember, she's just been invited to dinner, had the Count try to seduce her, and danced with the Captain. Her emotions are a bit high right now – and after Elsa's little chat, she's not necessarily thinking coherent thoughts. Why didn't Elsa just say, "Maria, I give up, he's yours." Why doesn´t the Captain stop Maria from leaving? Quite simply – because the characters aren't ready to admit their feelings yet. This is just another thread in their tapestry of a romance, a thread, that if pulled could unravel the tapestry or make a beautiful piece of art… _

_Once more, I should thank my beta, Mellie, for the amazing work. And thank you all reviewers, for your wonderful words of encouragement._

_Disclaimer: I absolutely do not own "The Sound of Music"._

_**--**_

_**The young girl who begins to experience the necessity of loving seeks to hide it; but the desire of pleasing betrays the secret of her heart, and sometimes reveals her hopes.**_

_**  
Beauchene**_

_**--**_

**"_The heart has reasons that reason cannot know."_ **

_**Blaise Pascal**_

_**--**_

Maria was wearing only her slip and chemise when the Baroness knocked at her door, offering to help her. She couldn't help but feel flattered – after all, she was a _Baroness_, the Captain's future bride, and she was offering to help _her_. Despite the grumblings and complaints of the other employees, Maria could not find it in her heart to genuinely dislike the woman. Yes, the Baroness was a bit conceited and a quintessential snob, but it was just the way she was brought up to be. Maria firmly believed that the Baroness had to live within her own barriers and restrictions, and was just as trapped in her world as Maria was.

_A gilded cage could be made of gold, but it was still a cage_…

Somehow, Maria believed that the Baroness – undoubtedly a clever woman – understood that just as well as she did.

_Clever_, yes – which made Maria consider something else - Baroness Schraeder did not seem like the type of woman who would do anything gratuitously. At least, not without it benefiting _herself_ in some way. The underlying reason had become quite clear to Maria just after she accepted the refined lady's help. At first, the woman had started off with small chit chat. But one statement, one phrase, had Maria realizing exactly what the Baroness's intentions were. She was there to guide her right back to Nonnberg – to help her see her path, or so she believed. She had been looking out the window – peering down into the garden in which she had danced not too long ago – when the Baroness's words had stung her.

"_There is nothing more irresistible to a man than a woman who's in love with him."_

"_In love with him?"_

Maria turned to look at the woman, unbelieving what the Baroness was saying to her. _Can this be true?_ Her mind said no, but her heart… her heart was saying something else entirely.

Peggy. Franz. The _Graf von Szaratay_. Frau Schmidt. Brigitta, who had commented on her burning face. And now, Baroness Schraeder. And, worst of all, even Captain von Trapp. They all saw something that apparently she had been blind to. Blind and naïvely unaware, until the Baroness had confronted her with the issue. The woman's parting words, although sounding encouraging, had stung Maria.

"_I'm sure you'll make a very fine nun..._"

Why couldn't Maria believe her? Was it because she felt that she never quite felt comfortable at the Abbey, or because she felt _too_ comfortable in the Captain's arms earlier? Whatever the reason was, it was over now, before it even had a chance to start. She was packing her bags, leaving the Trapp villa for good. Forever.

In spite of herself, her mind kept replaying bits of her conversation with the Baroness.

"_But, I've never done a thing to…"_ She utterly refused what the woman had told her. There was _no way_ that she could… that _he _could be in love… or could he?

_Have I__ really been blind to it, or have I simply refused to see it?_

According to the Baroness, she should have noticed it. "_We are all women,_" she had said. Why should that have made anything simpler? The trouble was that Maria had never felt like a woman, not in the sense that the Baroness spoke about. She felt like a tomboy most of the times. But a _woman_? Well, perhaps maybe when she was dancing with the Captain… Was that how a woman was supposed to feel? Was the Captain, a man, aware of her as a woman? Not a girl, not a governess, but a female? Six people now, including the Baroness, believed he was.

_But I'm not a woman, I'm going to be a nun! _Her mind screamed. A genderless person whose life is dedicated to God, and who isn't swayed by a man. Maria looked down at the grey dress in her hands – the same dress that she had entered the von Trapp household wearing, the same one in which she would leave.

"_I'm glad to go, I fleetly flee…I flee." I must leave; I can't stay here another minute,_ Maria thought. _It is the only thing I can do, I must flee._

This had been the decision she had made upon the Baroness's confession concerning the Captain. Maria now knew what _he_ wanted from her, what he saw in her.

More of the Baroness's conversation drifted into her consciousness.

"_Surely you've noticed the way he looks into your eyes, you've seen what he wants you to see… __He is what we women call a handsome devil, my dear. Make no mistake, he knows it, and he knows how to use it to get a woman. He knows how to seduce, how to talk, how to _look _at a woman. Especially an innocent like you, fresh out of a convent – what an easy prey you are for him!_ _But I have a feeling you know that already… and you know, you blushed in his arm as you were dancing just now…"_

Maria placed her hands on her burning cheeks, just as she had done when the Baroness had finished her speech. But the woman continued.

"_I like you Maria, very much. And honestly, I think you are destined to something better in life than to become anyone's mistress. He wants to seduce you, and he will if you let him. Don't take it to heart; he'll get over it soon enough I should think. Men do you know._"

What frightened her most was that if the Baroness had told her the truth, she would not be able to resist him. That she would succumb to his charms. And would she?

_How could I believe I was wise in the ways of the world just because I was training to be a _nun_? How dare he even _think_ of me that way,_ she fumed. But her brief anger was just there to disguise something else. Her eyes burned with unshed tears that she would not allow to fall until she was safely alone, in seclusion, at the Abbey. Maybe not even then. The truth was that she was more desperately unhappy that she had ever been in her entire life.

_He just wants me in his bed. That is all there is to it…and that's not where I want to be. If that's all he sees in me, then there is nothing for me here. The children need a mother, not…_

_The children_ – how would she say goodbye to them? She couldn't bear to see the hurt in their eyes, or to hear the questions as to why she was leaving, as to why she couldn't stay.

Guiltily, she realized that she had not thought about them since they had sung their goodnight song. It was just one of the many things she now had to feel guilty about. She could not think of a penance that was severe enough. The Reverend Mother had sent her to Captain von Trapp to help the children, not to fall in love with their father.

_Fall in love_?

She couldn't face _him_ again, she couldn't face the children. And yet, she knew that she couldn't just leave them, but she _had_ to do something. Looking around the room, she noted the little desk in the corner, and it held her only means of communication with the Von Trapp family.

She sat down and tried to focus on the task at hand – writing a note, a means of explanation to the children, to the Captain. But her hands were trembling so much that her handwriting was barely readable. After two failed attempts, she decided to resume her packing instead. She wasn't sure if her bad penmanship was due to her nervousness of leaving the family, or of the prospect of never seeing any of them again. Distracted by her thoughts, she never noticed that one of the crumbled attempts failed to reach its target of the wastebasket, and ended up on the floor.

Maria hurried over to the bureau, gathering the dresses remaining there – she may never need them again, but the poor certainly would. Shoving them into her carpet bag, she noticed the three dresses that were lying on the bed – a shabby grey one, a borrowed one, and a lovely blue one. She picked up the one she had worn earlier in the evening – one that had brought her such joy when she first put it on. It had been simply marvelous, and yet it's simplicity had failed to be appropriate for the evening. It was so… _Austrian_! She choked back a sob as she gathered a hanger from the bureau and hung up the simple dress. Certainly Frau Schmidt would eventually find it at take it back to her daughter.

She returned to the bed, this time picking up the lovely blue dress the Baroness had retrieved earlier. This piece of fabric had apparently captured the Captain's attention too much. It had been the one she had worn the other evening "_when the Captain couldn't keep his eyes off her_…" Maria didn't want to think of such things. As much as she wanted to bring the dress to the Abbey for the poor, she couldn't bear the thought of another woman wearing it. Of another woman feeling her stomach flutter when she captured the eyes of a man – and not just any man, her first love. Her fingers lingered on the soft material as it hung next to the other dress. She quickly shut the door, and, with it, shutting out the memories those two dresses held for her.

She returned to the bed one last time, this time eyeing the grey dress that even the poor didn't want. It was coarse, rough, and ugly she begrudgingly admitted to herself. And utterly befitting a future nun, she decided with determination. _And that's what you are, a nun, or at least you will be before the year is over._ She reminded herself.

With a newfound resolve, Maria quickly walked over to the desk and wrote a letter to the Captain. Her handwriting was still shaky, but it was at least readable. She kept the message short and to the point, even knowing that its tone might hurt the children. But the simple matter was she couldn't give details, it would be too painful and too embarrassing, but she wouldn't lie to them.

She had just finished signing her name when, through one of her open windows, she heard the sound of voices below.

"Such a heavenly night, isn't it, darling?" It was the familiar timber of the Baroness's voice.

Maria did not have to think very hard to guess who "_darling_" was. She walked to the window, standing back in the shadows, until she saw what she had been dreading to see – Captain von Trapp and Baroness Schraeder together, strolling in the moonlight. His head was very close to hers, as he bent down to whisper something in her ear. She laughed. It was more than enough to convince her that the Baroness had spoken the truth. He _was_ a devil, a rogue, and he knew exactly how to talk to a woman – to make her forget herself.

Stepping back from the window, she caught her reflection in the window. She could see the confusion in her eyes, her pain in her frown, the distress from the Baroness's words in the downward slump of her shoulders. Maria's eyes went wide when she noticed something else of her reflective self – her hand quickly covered the anchor brooch. She realized that the Baroness must have also seen it. How dishonest she must have appeared to the noblewoman, firmly denying having any feelings towards the Captain and, at the same time, wearing the proof that she was lying, betraying herself so easily. She recalled saying to the Baroness:

"_But I have never done a thing to…"_

But she had – she had worn his little trinket so proudly on display, all the while oblivious to it. It had become a part of her – and she found it ironic that it was the only thing she never felt self-conscious about. Her clothing, her hair, her manners – she always felt as if they were never appropriate when the Baroness was around, and yet the little pin she wore underneath her clothes gave her confidence. And her confidence came from Captain von Trapp, and now she was running away from him. No, not running, _fleeing._

_What have I gotten myself into?_ She thought. _I won't be able to face those people again after tonight. Never._

--

Captain von Trapp knocked at the door of his governess's room. There was no answer.

¨Maria," he called, the word Fräulein seeming suddenly inadequate. As inadequate as his behavior towards her this evening, and even before that, he conceded. And now he was there on a mission to fix what he had so carelessly ruined.

_Outrageous_ did not even begin to describe his conduct. He couldn't blame her if she would never forgive him, although he was there to ask for her forgiveness. For the children's sake or for his own sake – he refused to acknowledge the real reason. When he had informed her that she was needed at the party, he had no intention of… shaming her in any way. Yes, he wanted her to look after his children – but also, he had wanted her there simply because he did not want to loose sight of her. There was a small part of him that wanted her to see part of the world he lived in, and witness her reaction to it. And another part of him, even more secret, wanted his friends to see her, and approve of her – but not necessarily as his choice for his children's governess.

However, he had done nothing right that evening. First, he had made the _faux pas_ of letting the young woman appear as Cinderella in rags in front of his friends, not realizing that the fact would only attract more attention to her – including the leering gazes of some of the men that, after tonight, he would no longer call his friends. He had acted like a jealous, hormone driven adolescent boy when András von Szaratay had tried to take liberties with her. Then he was unforgivably forceful, practically obliging her to waltz with him – the fact that they had been interrupted just before she had taken his hand did not make his behavior any less reproachful. He had practically commanded her to dance with him – whether she wanted to or not.

Oh, but he did dance with her later. He let the excitement of the moment completely overcome him while he danced with Maria. He forgot where he was, he forgot who she was… No, he could not allow himself to think about that, not now. Most especially because Elsa had seen it all – it was obvious by the way she had taunted him after the dance was over.

"_All that needless worrying, Georg. You thought you wouldn't find a friend at the party."_

_"Chilly out tonight, isn't it?"_ has been his reply, glancing back to the garden, but Maria had already fled with the children, and was nowhere to be seen.

_"Oh, I don't know. Seemed rather _warm_ to me."_

His answer to Elsa had been a warning glance, nothing else – and he proceeded to act like nothing at all had happened, like he was just the employer, she was just the governess and all the events of the past few days were absolutely normal in an aristocratic household. It was when he had made his final mistake that evening - he had brushed Maria off after they had danced the Ländler – he remembered the hurtful look in her eyes after he delivered that casual _"you can if you want to_" when Max insisted that she joined them for dinner. No, he had done it all wrong, from the start – he should have insisted that she stay, he should have her there as his guest of honor – she deserved nothing less.

_How could I have been so careless?_ He asked himself. What in heavens made him behave in such a manner, and towards a woman? Not any woman, but one placed under his care and protection by the Mother Abbess of Nonnberg Abbey. This wisp of a girl who was the governess of his children, and who, less than too days before had fiercely defended her decision to become a nun. Even when everyone else around her, himself included, openly doubted that she was suited for that kind of life. How could have forgotten a lifetime, and, before him, generations of good, respectable upbringing?

Why on earth couldn't he, all of a sudden, call her anything else but her name? Why did common etiquette that came as naturally to him as breathing leave him whenever she was near?

He had provoked her, put her beliefs in doubt. Then he nearly had accused of being a coquettish flirt! He admitted to himself that she hadn't been so much a flirt as she had been so naïvely alluring. The flush of her cheeks as he reprimanded her, the way she held her breath when he was near. Her attraction to him had been painfully obvious, but his attraction to her, _that_ she had been oblivious to, thankfully. She had been oblivious to his desire as she stood in front of him soaking wet and giving him a stern dressing down. She hadn't noticed how he had gazed at her while driving down a deserted road; she hadn't noticed how he had wanted to spend additional time with her. No! Through all of his irreproachable behavior she had remained oblivious. He wanted to go to her – to make her see what she did to him, how it was _her_ fault. How _she_ was the instigator of his inappropriate behavior.

He needed to confront her, and maybe, from that confrontation, his own feelings would finally be made clear to him. Perhaps Maria, with her undisguised innocence, with her honesty, would help him acknowledge and accept what he was still afraid to admit – that she was more than just a governess.

_You bloody idiot,_ he muttered. _Now isn't the time for any of that. Dinner is to be served shortly, and you're missing one guest – Maria._ He knocked again, and when there was still no reply, went inside, not worrying, at the moment, that he would be intruding on her privacy. The fact was, he had already broken too many rules of propriety that evening as far as Maria was concerned, and if breaking another rule would help to make things right again, he was ready to do just that.

The room was apparently as tidy as it had been before her arrival. There was little or no sign that someone had occupied it recently, let alone someone as boisterous as Maria – he knew that tidiness was not one of her best qualities. The door to the bathroom was ajar, and there was no light inside, a sure indication that she was not there either. Feeling his chest tighten, he opened the doors of her wardrobe. The relief he felt when he saw her clothes hanging there did not last very long.

His observant eyes soon noticed that very little of her wardrobe was remaining. Only two dresses – he found it ironic that they were his two favorite dresses. Turning around quickly, he saw that her guitar was nowhere to be seen. He walked over to her small desk, and in doing so he stepped over a crumbled piece of paper. He picked it up.

If there was one thing about Fräulein Maria, it was that she did have a neat calligraphy – more the result of a traditional convent education than anything else, for it was certainly not what he would have expected of her. A disturbing image of a nun hitting her hand with a ruler demanding legible handwriting sprung into his mind. But the words in the paper were so shaky that he could barely read them.

_Captain… children… back… miss… Abbey..._

The note was unsigned. He found another crumbled piece of paper inside the wastebasket, this one even more disturbing, for apparently it had been addressed only to him.

_Captain, Please forgive me but I can't stay here anymore… I know it's wrong, but I am…_

After that, it was unreadable. He crumpled it up in anger, throwing it against the wall opposite him. _How can she leave me? _But then, considering all the events of that night, how could he even expect anything else from her?

That's when he saw it, the blue velvet box on her nightstand. He picked it up, holding his breath while he opened it – inside tiny diamonds glimmered for him. Feeling the same awful pain he had not expected to feel again in his life, he closed the box and placed it in his breast pocket. Bits and pieces of memories he had been repressing for nearly five years came back to his mind.

"_I am sorry, Captain von Trapp. Your wife_…" He had shut his ears in order not to hear the next words, but he heard them anyway – _your wife is dead_.

It was over.

She was gone.

And that meant that there was only one thing he could do in order to survive what would come next. She had been the one who taught him not to shut his children out, and he was not planning to make the same mistake again. No, the children would be spared this time that was a lesson he had learned only too well.

He would drown himself again in another woman – hiding his broken heart again. He only wished that, before he left, Fräulein Maria had taught him how to drown out the memory of _her_.

--

_A/N: I know, not a happy ending but this is meant to be continued… in another story. Meanwhile, go to "Nothing comes from nothing", although I am planning, in the future, to write one about Maria´s days in the Abbey and the talk with the Reverend Mother – and of course, the Captain´s POV during her absence. _


End file.
